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FROM   THE    LIBRARY   OF 
REV.    LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.   D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY    HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY   OF  ' 

PRINCETON   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 


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JAN  20  1932 

HISTORY      N& 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE,  CHESTER  COUNTY,  PA, 

(BBANDYWINE  MANOR   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,) 


FEOM    A.D.    1735    TO    A.D.    1885, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 

OF 

THE   DECEASED   PASTORS   OF   THE   CHURCH, 

AMI    OF   THOSE   WHO   PREPARED   FOB   THE   CHRISTIAN    MINISTRY    UNDER   THE 
DIRECTION    OF    THE    REV.  NATHAN    GRIER. 

V 

Bv    JAMES    M'CLUNE,  Ll.D, 


MEMBER  OF  THE  AMERICAN  PHILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY. 


"  The  Lord  our  God  be  with  us,  as  He  was  with  our  fathers:  let  Him  not  leave  us,  nor 
forsake  iih." — 1  Kings  viii.  57. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED   BY  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY. 

18  85. 


PREFACE. 


The  preparation  of  the  following  work  has  been 
delayed  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  authentic  data, 
no  regular  records  of  the  Church  having  been  kept 
until  a  comparatively  recent  period.  The  delay, 
however,  has  enabled  the  writer  to  state  some  interest- 
ing facts  which  otherwise  would  have  been  omitted, 
and  to  continue  the  work  to  a  later  period.  The 
authorities  on  which  he  has  mainly  relied  are  given 
at  the  close  of  each  article. 

For  the  information  of  those  who  may  not  have  an 
opportunity  to  consult  works  on  Ecclesiastical  History, 
brief  historical  notices  of  the  Puritans,  the  Huguenots, 
the  Scotch,  and  the  Scotch-Irish  have  been  prefixed. 

In  order  to  prevent  them  from  being  forgotten,  or 
to  make  them  better  known,  several  matters  but  re- 
motely associated  with  religious  organizations  have 
been  stated  in  foot-notes  and  appendices. 

The  writer  thankfully  acknowledges  his  obligations 
to  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  others  who  aided 
his  researches  and  assisted  him  in  placing  on  record  a 
number  of  remarkable  incidents  connected  with  a 
"  Pioneer  Church"  which  has  received  many  tokens 
of  Divine  guidance  and  approval. 

J.  M. 

Philadelphia,  June  8,  1885. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Academy,  Brandywine 173 

Academy,  Howard 174 

Academy,  New  London  (Appendix) 232 

America,  discovery  of 9 

Bequests 198 

Black,  Bev.  Samuel 57 

Boyd,  Bev.  Alexander 130 

Boyd,  Bev.  Adam 65 

Buchanan,  Bev.  James 131 

Bull,  Bev.  Levi,  D.D 128 

Carmichael,  Bev.  John 79 

Central  Bresbyterian  Church,  Downingtown        ....  169 

Coatesville  Bresbyterian  Church 159 

Collins,  Bev.  Britton  E 148 

Davidson,  Bev.  Batrick 119 

Dean,  Bev.  William 73 

Elders,  Buling 106 

Fairview  Bresbyterian  Church 166 

Graveyards 215 

Grier,  Bev.  John  F.,  D.D 135 

Grier,  Bev.  John  H 140 

Grier,  Bev.  John  N.  C,  D.D 99 

Grier,  Bev.  John  W <        .  142 

Grier,  Bev.  Matthew  B.,  D.D .        .  144 

Grier,  Bev.  Nathan 90 

Grier,  Bev.  Eobert  S 137 

Grier,  Bev.  Thomas 122 

Happersett,  Bev.  Bees,  D.D. 151 

Heberton,  Bev.  William 34 

Honeybrook  Bresbyterian  Church        ......  163 

Hood,  Rev.  Thomas 126 

Huguenots 14 

Kennedy,  Rev.  William 134 

Knight,  Bev.  Joshua 124 


6 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


slators 
;  :  v.  John  A..  I  '.1> 

iir.ui.  Rev.  Robert 
Firel     . 
Meeting-]  [ouse,  Second 
Dg-House,  Manor 
Meeting-House,  New     . 
Mi  ( 'nil,  Rev.  John 
M'Conaughy,  Rev.  David,  D 
Moore,  R  v.  David  \V. 

Rev.  Benjamin  M. 
Parke,  Rev.  Samuel 
Parsonage 

Pew-Holders,  L792  96   . 
Physicians 

Pinkerton,  Rev.  John    . 
Pinkerton,  Bey.  William 
Puritans 

Quay,  Rev.  Anderson  B. 
Ralston,  Rev.  James  G.,  D.D 

i  and  Scotch-Irish 
Seceder  M<  eting-House 

a-Houses 

■II-  .... 
Sunday-Schools 
Temperance  Societies    . 
Templeton,  Rev.  William  11 
Tin  ological  Students     . 
Thompson,  Rev.  John  C. 
Trust 

1  [instead,  Rev.  Justus    . 
Walker.  Rev.  Richard  . 
Wallace.  Rev.  Matthew  G. 
White.  Kev.  Robert 
W I-.  Rev.  William    . 


1).,  LL.D 


LL.D. 


PAdB 

210 

178 

1  15 

37 

39 

41 

47 

35 

118 

177 

149 

138 

193 

201 

211 

157 

155 

11 

146 

153 

17 

52 

19G 

115 

188 

204 

L56 

116 

176 

114 

152 

150 

121 

132 

117 


PASTORS 

OP 

BRANDYWINE    MANOR    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH, 


FIRST    PASTOR. 


Rev.  Samuel  Black,  installed  November,  1736;  pastoral  relation 
dissolved  July,  1741. 

SECOND    PASTOR. 

Rev.  Adam  Boyd    (Old   Side),  installed   August,  1741  ;   pastoral 
relation  ceased  October,  1758. 

THIRD   PASTOR. 

Rev.  William  Dean  (New  Side),  installed  May  or  June.  1745  ; 
died  July,  1748. 

FOURTH    PASTOR. 

Rev.  John   Carmichael,  installed  April,   1761 ;  died  November, 
1785. 

FIFTH  pastor. 

Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  installed  August,  1787 ;  died  Marcb,  1814. 

sixth  pastor. 

Rev.  J.  N.  C.  Grier,  D.D.,  installed  November,  1814;   resigned 
April,  1869. 

SEVENTH  PASTOR. 

Rev.  William  W.  Heberton,  installed  October,  1869;   pastoral 
relation  dissolved  October,  1872. 

eighth  pastor. 
Rev.  John  McColl,  installed  July,  1873;  present  pastor. 


DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA. 


The  believer  in  a  Superintending  Providence,  and 
especially  the  Christian,  cannot  fail  to  perceive  the 
wise  arrangements  of  Deity  in  the  period  at  which 
America,  became  generally  known  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Eastern  Continent.  If  it  had  been  discovered 
when  the  darkness  of  the  Middle  Ages  enshrouded 
Europe,  when  the  feudal  system  was  strong  in  its 
enormity  and  an  intolerant  church  held  unlimited 
sway,  superstition,  oppression,  and  bigotry  would  have 
been  increased  and  strengthened.  The  credulous 
monk,  the  lord  and  his  vassal,  and  the  "  persecutor  of 
heretics"  would  have  peopled  the  Western  shores  of 
the  Atlantic,  and  re-acted  on  a  wider  arena  scenes 
which  History  blushes  to  record. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  this  continent  had  not  been 
discovered  until  a  few  centuries  more  had  passed, 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  who  found  refuge 
and  a  home  in  its  wilderness  solitudes  would  have 
perished  by  the  sword  or  on  the  scaffold.  The  relent- 
less cruelty  of  rulers  and  prelates  would  have  crushed 
the  advocates  of  Truth.  But  God  in  His  wisdom  had 
determined  otherwise.  He  had  decreed  that  the 
crimes  of  Europe  should  be  a  source  of  blessings  to 
America;  that  those  who  had  been  subjected  to  fines, 

2  9 


1<)  DISCOVER?    <»F    AMERICA. 

imprisonment,  mutilation,  and  banishmenl  for  His 
name's  3ake  should  lay  the  foundations  of  ;i  Great 
Republic,  which  would  afford  a  home  to  the  exile  from 
every  land  and  protection  to  men  of  every  creed; 
thai  here  a  Christian  nation  should  arise  throughoul 
whose  wide  domain  the  sound  of  the  loom  and  the 
anvil  and  the  hum  of  business  would  cease  on  every 
returning  Sabbath, — a  nation  which  would  annually 
presenl  n>  the  world  the  sublime  spectacle  of  its 
Chief  Magistrate  calling  on  its  citizens  to  unite  in 
giving  thanks  t<>  Him,  the  Author  of  All  Good,  for 
blessings  so  freely  bestowed,  and  so  generally  enjoyed. 

Will  it.  then,  he  irrelevant  to  advert,  briefly,  to  the 
history  of  some  of  those  who,  like  Hagar,  were  driven 
by  persecution  into  the  wilderness ;  those  whom  the 
Angel  of  Mercy  comforted  and  sustained  during  the 
whole  period  of  Colonial  weakness  and  despondency, 
and  whose  descendants  have  become  more  numerous 
than  the  posterity  of  Ishmael,  but  with  the  hand  for 
not  against  every  man  ? 

Although  every  Protestant  denomination  has  con- 
tributed to  give  tone  and  character  to  the  civil  and 
religious  polity  of  our  country,  yet  those  to  whom  we 
;i-  Presbyterians  are  chiefly  indebted  for  liberty  of 
conscience,  for  our  doctrinal  standards  and  our  form 
of  church  government  are  the  Puritans,  the  Hugue- 
DOt8,   the  Scotch,  and    the  Scotch-Irish.      Of  these  in 

Miller. 


THE    IT  I!  [TANS. 


The  storm  of  religious  persecution  which  swept  with 
increasing'  violence  over  Europe  during  the  Seven- 
teenth Century  forced  thousand!  of  her  best  citizens  to 
flee  to  other  lands.  The  arbitrary  measures  of  James 
I.  of  England  caused  the  Pilgrims  to  seek  a  refuge 
first  in  Holland  and  finally  on  the  bleak  shore  of  New 
England. 

This  colony,  so  feeble  in  the  beginning,  was  rapidly 
increased  by  the  despotic  conduct  of  his  son,  Charles 
L,  who  abetted  measures  which  the  timidity  of  his 
father  led  that  monarch  to  reject.  The  religious  intol- 
erance of  Archbishop  Laud,  and  the  disturbed  con- 
dition of  the  mother-country  until  Charles  perished 
on  the  scaffold,  added  yearly  to  the  population  of  the 
New  England  colonies. 

But  while  their  numbers  were  rapidly  increasing,  and 
they  had  built  towns,  subdued  portions  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  gathered  around  them  the  comforts  of  civil- 
ized life,  they  were  not  unmindful  of  the  interests  of 
learning  and  religion.  In  less  than  thirty  years  after 
the  landing  at  Plymouth  they  had  originated  a  system 
of  public  schools,  established  a  college,  now  the  oldest 
and  best  endowed  in  our  country,  and  erected  nearly 
fifty  churches  in  which  divine  service  was  held  every 
Sabbath. 

11 


12  THE    PURITANS. 

During  the  able  sway  of  Cromwell  England  enjoyed 
comparative  quiet,  and  emigrants  to  the  American 
colonies  were  few.  Four  years,  however,  had  not 
elapsed  after  the  death  of  the  Great  Protector  before 
the  An  of  Uniformity  drove  upwards  of  two  thousand 
Puritan  clergymen  from  their  pulpit.-,  and  placed  such 
in.  u  as  Baxter,  Flaval,  Howe,  Allein,  Calamy,  Char- 
nock,  and  Bunyan  under  the  ban  of  ecclesiastical 
censure.  Fines  and  imprisonment  alike  awaited  the 
divine  who  proclaimed  the  truth  and  those  who  as- 
sembled to  hear  him.  Under  such  circumstances,  all 
thai  could  obtain  the  means  to  do  so  sought  a  home 
among  their  brethren  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
joyfully  added  to  the  wealth,  intelligence,  and  prosper- 
ity of  a  country  where  there  was  "freedom  to  worship 
God." 

These  oppressive  measures,  which  continued  until 
the  accession  of  the  Gustavus  Adolphus  of  England, 
William  III.,  peopled  the  Eastern  States  with  those 
who  have  made  the  sterile  soil  of  New  England  a  land 
of  plenty  and  the  fixed  abode  of  enterprise,  activity, 
and  intelligence. 

But  the  benefits  which  the  first  settlers  of  New 
England  conferred  on  the  land  of  their  adoption  have 
not  been  confined  within  its  narrow  limits.  Wherever 
the  descendants  of  the  Pilgrims  have  found  an  abiding 
place,  whether  in  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio,  the  Mis- 
souri, and  the  Mississippi,  or  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific;  whether  as  miners,  husbandmen,  or  manufac- 
turers, they  have  carried  with  them  their  ancestral 
love  of  five. loin,  and  their  reverence  for  the  precepts 
of  the  Bible.     The  printing-press,  the  school,  and  the 


THE   PURITANS.  13 

church  have  followed  in  the  wake  of  their  advance; 
the  wilderness  has  given  place  to  cultivated  fields,  and 
cities  have  grown  with  magic  speed  beneath  their 
plastic  hands. 

If,  as  Hume  has  observed,  the  precious  spark  of 
liberty  was  kindled  and  preserved  by  the  Puritans, — 
and  to  them  the  English  owe  the  whole  freedom  of 
their  Constitution, — the  citizens  of  a  republic  which 
spans  a  continent  are  indebted  to  those  God-fearing 
men  and  their  descendants  for  much  of  the  civil  and 
religious  liberty  which  they  enjoy.* 

*  Neal,  "  Hist,  of  the  Puritans;"  Baird,  "Religion  in  America;" 
Bancroft,  "  Hist,  of  U.  S. ;"  Sanford,  "  Puritan  Revolution  ;"  Calamy, 
"  Account  of  Ejected  Ministers." 


KNOTS. 


Owing  to  the  zeal  and  ability  of  Calvin,  Beza,  Co- 
ligny,  and  their  coadjutors,  aided  by  the  patronage  of 
Margaret,  Queen  of  Navarre,  the  principles  of  the 
Reformation  became  widely  known  and  were  eagerly 
embraced  by  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  France. 
And  although  the  bigoted  opposition  of  her  rulers 
mid  the  fiend-like  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  for  a 
time  diminished  their  number  and  forced  many  of  them 
to  obtain  safety  by  flight,  yel  at  the  close  of  the  six- 
teenth  century  they  were  sufficiently  numerous  and 
powerful  to  extort  from  Henry  IV.  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 
This  Edicl  guaranteed  to  the  Protestants  the  free  ex- 
ercise  of  their  religion.  That  it  was  often  violated  by 
the  successors  of  Henry,  even  before  it  was  formally 
revoked,  the  history  of  France  during  the  Seventeenth 
Century  fully  attests.  Nowhere  in  Europe  did  the 
3piri1  of  religious  intolerance  exhibit  greater  malice  or 
give  rise  to  greater  atrocities  than  in  the  persecution  of 
the  Huguenots,  as  the  French  Protestants  were  gener- 
ally  called.*      Hunted    like   wild   beasts,  exposed  to 

Ii  i-  reckoned,  says  President  Edwards,  that  there  were  martyred 
in  this  kingdom,  France,  for  the  Protestant  religion,  thirty-three 
princes,  one  hundred  and  fortj  eight  counts,  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  barons,  <>ne  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand  gentlemen,  and 

ii 


THE    HUGUENOTS.  15 

ignominy,  torture,  and  death,  they  were  fortunate  who 
found  in  foreign  lands  the  exile  which  their  cruel 
rulers  sedulously  endeavored  to  prevent.  England, 
Holland,  Switzerland,  Germany,  and  other  portions  of 
Europe,  not  only  afforded  them  an  asylum,  but  gladly 
welcomed  them,  and  those  countries  owe  many  of  the 
mechanic  arts  which  have  increased  their  wealth  and 
importance  to  the  orderly  and  industrious  strangers. 

But  the  thousands  of  Frenchmen  who  were  forced 
to  abandon  their  native  land  did  not  find  safety  and  a 
home  in  Europe  only.  A  large  number  of  them 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  sought  a  peaceful  abiding- 
place  among  those  who  had  planted  the  standard  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom  in  the  Western  wilderness. 
The  colonists  of  New  England  and  New  York  wil- 
lingly received  and  aided  them,  but  the  milder  climate 
of  the  Carolinas  being  more  congenial  to  those  who 
had  been  reared  amid  the  fertile  plains  and  vine-clad 
hills  of  France,  a  majority  of  them  became  citizens  of 
what  are  now  the  Southern  States.  There  they  dis- 
seminated and  practised  the  religious  principles  which 
had  caused  their  exile,  and  contributed,  by  their  in- 
dustry, skill,  and  sobriety,  to  increase  the  wealth  and 
prosperity  of  the  country  which  they  had  made  their 
home. 

Many  who  have  held  high  positions  in  our  govern- 
ment, and  who  have  discharged  the  duties  of  important 
trusts  with  uprightness  and  ability,  could  trace  their 
lineage  to  the  persecuted  Huguenots.     At  the  present 


seven  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  of  the  common  people,  all  within 
thirty  years. 


L6  THE    EUGUENOTS. 

time  the  Presbyterian  churches  of*  New  England, 
New  York,  and  especially  of  the  Garolinas,  number 
among  their  mosl  useful  and  influential  members  the 
descendants  of  the  countrymen  of  Calvin,  Beza,  Mor- 
u;iy.  and  Saurin.* 


Marsh,      Bist.  of  the   Huguenots;"  Browning,  "Hist,  of  the 
Huguenots;"   D'Aubigne,  "Hist,  of  the  Reformation." 


THE  SCOTCH   AM)  THE  SCOTCIHUNI. 


Although  the  Puritans  and  the  Huguenots  did 
much  towards  forming  the  religious  character  and 
implanting  a  love  of  liberty  in  the  breasts  of  those 
who  made  America  their  home,  the}'  were  not  the 
only  laborers  in  the  important  work.  There  were 
others  who  aided,  by  also  diffusing  a  reverence  for 
truth  and  a  fear  of  God,  the  real  foundations  of 
national  greatness. 

The  Scotch  and  the  Scotch-Irish,  as  those  who 
came  from  the  North  of  Ireland  were  called,  emi- 
grated to  this  country  in  large  numbers,  bringing 
with  them  their  strong  attachment  to  learning  and 
the  doctrinal  standards  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  Scotch  had  been  subjected  to  every  variety  of 
suffering,  not  merely  on  account  of  their  opposition  to 
the  dogmas  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  but  because  they 
refused  to  subscribe  to  the  doctrines  and  forms  of 
Episcopacy.  The  High  Commission  appointed  by 
Charles  II.  exercised  Inquisitorial  powers,  and  even 
equalled  the  dread  tribunals  of  Spain  and  Portugal 
in  acts  of  oppression,  malice,  and  cruelty. 

In  consequence  of  these  arbitrary  measures  many 
went  from  Scotland  to  Ireland,  and  others  sought 
safety  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  But  it  was  not 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  that 

17 


1  g  i  in     si  0T<  II     WD    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH. 

the  Scotch  and  their  descendants  in  Ireland  emigrated 
in  large  numbers  to  America. 

Driven  from  their  homes  by  fanatical  zeal  and 
ecclesiastical  tyranny,  they  naturally  directed  their 
course  to  the  only  two  colonies,  Maryland*  and  Penn- 
sylvania, in  which  toleration  prevailed. 

In  L 729,  upwards  of  six  thousand  emigrants  from 
Scotland  and  Ireland  arrived  in  this  State,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  middle  of  the  century  as  many  as 
twelve  thousand,  it  is  said,  came  over  every  year.  A 
majority  of  them  made  their  way  into  the  interior, 
and,  on  account  of  the  early  frosts  in  the  valleys  and 
the  water  being  less  pure,  they  generally  settled  on 
the  higher  lands. 

Their  principal  business  was  farming,  though  they 
were  far  from  being  skilful  husbandmen.  When  the 
productiveness  of  the  soil  had  been  exhausted  by  fre- 
quent tillage,  instead  of  resorting  to  fertilizers,  they 
cleared  the  timber  from  another  portion  of  their 
lands.  If  this  resource  also  failed,  they  sought  local- 
it  ies  where  the  unimpaired  soil  of  the  wilderness 
gave  .i  return  for  Labor  which  their  former  possessions 
bad  ceased  to  afford.  They  therefore  became  the 
pioneer-  in  the  settlement  not  only  of  this  State  and 
of  Maryland,  but  also  of  a  large  portion  of  Central 
Virginia  and  the  western  counties  of  North  Carolina. 

.Moving  in  the  v;in  of  civilization,  with  the  musket 
in  one  hand  and  the  axe  in  the  other,  they  had  scarcely 


'  Trinitarians  only  were  tolerated  in  Maryland.  No  enactment 
abridging  religious  liberty  ha.-  ever  been  placed  on  the  statute  bonks 
of  Pennsylvania. 


THE    SCOTCH    AND    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH.  1  9 

repressed  Indian  hostility  or  subdued  a  small  pari  of 
the  wilderness,  when  they  organized  the  church  and 
the  school.  The  meeting-house  was  generally  buill 
of  unhewn  logs,  and  a  smaller,  but  an  equally  rude, 
structure,  served,  in  most  instances,  for  a  session-house 
and  a  school-house.  But  in  these  rustic  church 
edifices  men  proclaimed  the  words  of  Truth  whose 
learning  and  whose  familiarity  with  the  Scriptures 
would  astonish  the  graduates  of  our  theological  semi- 
naries/while  the  "schoolmaster  from  Ireland"  faith- 
fully imparted  the  elements  of  knowledge.  No  daily 
mail  nor  weekly  newspaper  kept  them  in  communica- 
tion with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  wilderness  was 
their  home.  The  broad  Atlantic  rolled  between  them 
and  the  land  of  their  fathers.  Want  and  danger 
were  continually  present.  Nevertheless,  their  much- 
worn  Bibles  showed  that,  amid  all  their  loneliness 
and  privations,  they  sought  and  obtained  consolation 
from  the  Holy  Book  which  has  brought  joy  to  many 
a  mourner  and  removed  the  shadow  from  many  a 
hearth-stone. 

During  the  struggle  for  National  Independence,  no 
one  whose  ancestry  could  be  traced  to  Scotland  or  the 
North  of  Ireland  was  found  among  the  adherents  of 
royalty.  Their  patriotism  and  unflinching  bravery 
were  so  well  known  thai  Washington,  in  the  midnight 
hour  of  the  Be  volution,  expressed  his  determination, 
if  all  other  resources  failed,  to  make  his  last  stand 
among  the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  of  the  frontiers. 

These  races  have  furnished  eight  Chief  Magistrates 
of  the  Union,  twenty  Governors  of  States,  and  up- 
wards  of  thirty    Presidents   of  American    Colleges. 


2<  i  i  in     3COT<  ll     \M>    THE   SCOTCH-IRISH. 

They  gave  us  Wayne,  Mercer,  Montgomery,  Irvine, 
Knox  St.  (  Hair,  Sullivan,  and  Morgan,  of  the  Conti- 
nental Army;  the  statesmen  Hamilton,  Madison,  and 
Webster;  the  orators  Patrick  Henry,  Calhoun,  and 
McDuffie.  To  them  the  Presbyterian  Church  is 
indebted  for  the  Tennents,  the  Blairs,  the  Smiths, 
the  Allisons,  Finley,  Rodgers,  Witherspoon,  and 
others  prominent  in  the  annals  of  the  struggles  and 
the  triumphs  of  the  Church  in  America  during  the 
ter  part  of  the  Eighteenth  Century.* 


*  Chambers,  "Irish  aud  Scotch-Irish  Early  Settlers;"  Proud, 
•  Hist  ol  Pennsylvania;"  Gordon,  "Hist,  of  Pennsylvania;"  Hodge, 
■  Hist,  of  Presbyterian  Church;"  Webster,  "  Hist,  of  Pres.  Church." 


II  IS'I'O  I!  Y 


PRESBYTERIA  N    CHURCH 


IN 


"THE    F0RKS   OF    P>  \l  A  M)  Y  W  I  N  E.' 


The  first  European  settlers  in  what  are  now  the 
Western  and  Central  parts  of  Chester  County  were, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  natives  of  Wales.  The  name 
of  a  neighboring  mountain  and  the  names  of  several 
townships  in  this  county  and  those  adjoining  would 
sufficiently  prove  this,  even  if  history  and  tradition 
were  silent.f  Some  of  these  immigrants  came  on 
account  of  their  attachment  to  the  principles  of  Penn  ; 

*  The  term  "  the  Forks"  in  early  colonial  annals  refers  not  only  to 
the  point  at  the  immediate  confluence  of  two  rivers,  but  to  the  ter- 
ritory included  between  the  two  streams  for  some  miles  above.  Thus, 
"the  Forks  of  the  Delaware"  comprises  nearly  the  whole  county  of 
Northampton  ;  "  the  Forks  of  the  Susquehanna,"  the  tract  for  some 
distance  above  Northumberland.  (Day,  "  Hist.  Col.  Penna.")  In 
this  instance  the  Forks  appears  to  have  included  all  between  the  head 
waters  of  the  Brandywine  and  the  confluence  of  its  two  branches. 

f  Trcdyffrin,Uwchlan,  and  Nantmeal  in  Chester  County  ;  Caernarvon 

and  Brecknock,  in  both  Berks  County  and  Lancaster  ;  Cymry  (Cumru) 

in  Berks  County. 

21 


22         HISTORY     OF     mi:    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCB 

others,  to  enjoy  the  religious  freedom  accorded  to  all. 
Anion-  them  were  several  Presbyterian  families,  and 
,,-lv  as  L710  the  records  of  Presbytery  make 
mention  of  the  church  in  Tredyffrin,  or  the  Great 
Valley  ( Jhurch. 

This  section,  however,  which  was  known  by  the 
name  of  Cain,*  had  but  few  inhabitants  for  several 
years  afterwards.-)"  The  first  township  officer,  a  con- 
stable,  was  elected  in  1720.  From  thai  date,  however, 
and  especially  in  L729,the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish 
arrived  and  settled  in  considerable  numbers.  They 
were  nearly  all  Presbyterians,  or  in  sympathy  with 
the  Presbyterian  form  of  church  government.  At 
firsl  they  were  too  few  and  too  much  scattered  to 
organize  churches,  and  therefore  depended,  for  the 
most  part,  on  occasional  visits  from  the  pastors  of  the 
Welsh  Presbyterian  churches  who  could  address  them 
in  English. 

Among  those  who  itinerated  through  this  section 
at  that  period,  and  preached  in  a  grove  or  in  private 
houses  on  the  Sabbath,  was  David  Evans,  subsequently 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Tredyffrin. J 

In  October,  1821,  the  Rev.  Adam  Boyd  was  in- 
stalled   pastor  of  the  churches  of  Octoraro   (Upper 

It  w&a  divided  into  East  and  West  Calu  in  1728. 
Appendix  P. 
muel    Evans,  a  son  of  David  Evans,  succeeded  his  father  at 
Tredyffrin,  bul   relinquished  his  charge  without  the  consent  of  Pres- 
bytery,  and  was  disowned  by  the  Synod  in  1751.     His  bod   Israel 
1  as  chaplain  from  1777  to  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  died  in  L$07.     He  published  several  sermons.     His  great-grand- 
father was  a  minister  in  Wales. 


IN    "THE    FORKS    OF    I'.KA.NDVWIM .."'  23 

Octoraro)  and  Pequea.  As  these  were  frontier 
churches,  Mr.  Boyd,  in  compliance  with  the  directions 
of  Presbytery,  visited  and  preached  in  portions  of  the 
country  where  Presbyterians  had  settled,  but  where 
no  church  had  been  organized.  Many  of  the  residents 
of  these  places  in  time  came  to  be  regarded  as  mem- 
bers of  his  congregation,  and  contributed  to  his  support. 
This  appears  to  have  been  the  case  with  those  who 
were  subsequently  organized  as  a  church  in  this  place, 
for,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal,  held 
at  Octoraro,  June  5,  1734, *  the  following  record  was 
placed  on  the  minutes:  "The  people  at  the  Forks  of 
Brandywine,  being  a  part  of  Mr.  Boyd's  congregation, 
put  in  a  supplication  to  the  Presbytery  for  liberty  of 
erecting  a  meeting-house  for  Mr.  Boyd  to  preach 
in  when  sometimes  he  comes  to  them,  which  was 
granted." 

It  ought  perhaps  to  be  stated,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  Synod  or  Presbytery  for  the  limits  of  the 
authority  of  each  were  not  well  denned  at  that  time, 
and  for  several  years  afterwards  claimed  and  exercised 
the  right  to  say  where  and  when  a  meeting-house 
should  be  built.  If  one  was  erected  without  their 
consent  they  refused  to  send  supplies  or  install  a 
pastor ;  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  censure  any 
member  of  either  body  who  conducted  divine  service 
in  a  building  erected  without  their  approval.  A  case 
of  this   kind    occurred  at   New   London,  where   the 


*  All  dates  in  the  last  ceutury  before  September,  1752,  are  Old  Style, 
or  eleven  days  earlier  than  they  would  be  by  the  present  method  of 
reckoning  time,  New  Style. 


■_'  I  HISTORV    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

bytery  ordered  the  doors  of  a  meeting-house 
which  had  been  buill  to  be  dosed.  This  caused 
several  appeals  to  the  Synod  and  the  Presbytery  to 
reverse  their  decision,  gave  rise  to  much  angry  feeling, 
and  delayed  the  organization  of  the  church  and  the 
settlemenl  of  a  pastor  for  several  years.  The  exercise 
of  such  authority  to  the  same  extent  at  present  would 
be  deemed  arbitrary,  but  then  it  seems  to  have  been, 
and  -till  is,  in  a  measure,  necessary,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  erection  of  buildings  and  the  organization  of 
churches  unable  to  support  a  stated  ministry.  But, 
to  return  to  the  history  of  this  Church. 

Having  received  permission  to  build  a  meeting- 
house, and,  as  they  supposed,  to  organize  as  a  distinct 
congregation,  the  members  obtained  a  triangular  lot 
of  ground  containing  six  and  a  half  acres,  built  a 
house  lor  public  worship,  elected  elders,  and  applied 
to  Presbytery  at  its  meeting  in  April  (4),  1735,  held 
at  ( Jhestnut  Level,  for  supplies.  At  the  same  time  an 
application  was  made  by  the  congregation  of  Octoraro 
"desiring  the  subscription  of  these  people  (those  in 
the  Forks  of  l>ra ndy wine)  may  be  continued  for  Mr. 
Boyd's  support."  The  Presbytery,  after  hearing  the 
statements  of  the  parties,  came  to  the  following,  among 
other,  conclusions : 

"First.  That  the  said  people  (the  people  in  the 
Forks)  had  quite  mistaken  the  matter  in  deeming 
themselves  already  erected,  whereas  it  is  not  so;  only 
they  were  granted  leave  to  build  an  house  for  their 
more  convenient  enjoying  the  visits  of  Mr.  Boyd." 

"Secondly.  The  Presbytery  judge  thai  said  people 
be  contented  as  part  of  Mr.  Boyd's  charge  as  formerly ; 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  25 

and,  further,  Presbytery  judge  that  said  people  have 
acted  ungratefully  towards  Mr.  Boyd  and  the  congre- 
gation of  Octoraro  for  his  former  kindness  and  care 
toward  them." 

The  Presbytery  also  ordered  them  to  make  a  "  list 
of  all  the  people  of  our  communion  or  profession 
dwelling  in  the  confines  of  said  designed  election 
next  to  the  border  of  Octoraro,  and  send  said  list  to 
Mr.  Boyd." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal,  held 
June  10,  1735,  Jno.  Hamilton,  as  commissioner  from 
the  Forks  of  Brandywine,  presented  a  "  supplication" 
to  be  erected  into  a  distinct  congregation,  a  list  of 
the  people  according  to  the  order  of  Presbytery, 
and  a  paper,  unsubscribed,  alleged  to  be  from  said 
people,  casting  groundless  reflections  on  Mr.  Boyd. 
"  With  this  paper  the  Presbytery  find  great  fault." 

The  Presbytery  ordered  the  usual  perambulations, 
and  also  selected  two  persons,  who  were  directed  to 
choose  a  third,  to  act  as  arbitrators  in  settling  the 
difficulty  with  William  Craige,  "  who  complained  of 
being  wronged  in  relation  to  his  interest  in  a  part  of 
the  meeting-house." 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1735, :i:  another  "  sup- 
plication" from  the  Forks  of  Brandywine  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Presbytery,  and  also  a  request  that 
Presbytery  would  concur  with  them  in  endeavoring 
to  procure  a  visit  from  some  of  the  young  gentlemen 
lately  arrived  from  Ireland  and  connected  with  New 
Castle  Presbytery,  in  order  to  give  such  visitor  a  call. 


*  26th  of  September,  New  Style. 
3 


26         HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAM    CHURCH 

The  Presbytery,  after  observing  thai  they  had  been 
badly  treated,  and  having  received  an  apology  from 
the  Commissioners  for  their  "  misdemeanor,"  and  an 
assurance  that  all  arrearages  to  Mr.  Boyd  would  be 
paid  until  the  next  November,  "  erected  said  people 
i hi 1 1  ;i  distinct  congregation" 

The  Presbytery  also  complained  of  the  location  of 
the  meeting-house,  and  recommended  that  no  dead  he 
buried  there  until  the  matter  was  finally  settled. 

In  April,  1736,  Jno.  Hamilton  and  James  Ward 
appeared  as  Commissioners  from  the  Forks  of  Brandy- 
wine,  with  a  list  of  subscriptions  and  a  call  to  Mr. 
Samuel  Black,  one  of  the  young  men  above  referred 
in.  The  Presbytery  did  not  consider  the  call  to  be  in 
proper  form,  and  also  disapproved  of  the  sum  of  fifty 
pounds  mentioned  in  the  call,  when  the  subscription 
was  nearly  sixty-six,  but  placed  the  consideration  of 
ii  with  Mr.  Black. 

.May  23,  1736,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  held 
;ii  Nottingham,  Robert  Hamilton  and  Edward  Irwin, 
Commissioners  from  the  Forks  of  Brandywine,  pre- 
sented a  call  to  Mr.  Black,  with  the  amount  increased 
to  lit'ty-five  pounds  Pennsylvania  currency  ($146§). 
"  The  call  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Black,  and 
hr  accepted  it." 

On  the  10th  of  November,  1736,  the  Presbytery 
mil  at  the  Forks  of  Brandywine,  and  ordained  and 
installed  Mr.  Black  as  pastor  of  the  congregation. 

No  records  remain  of  the  number  of  members  of 
i  he  Church  when  Mr.  Black  became  pastor.  Nor  are 
there  any  means  of  ascertaining  the  attendance  on 
i he  Sabbath,  or  the  interest  manifested  in  the  subject 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  27 

of  religion.  That  the  members  were  few,  and  the 
weekly  assemblages  far  from  large,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  condition  of  the  country,  which  was  still,  to 
a  great  extent,  a  wilderness.  This  is  shown  by  the 
report  of  the  Commissioners  who  laid  out  the  Paxtang 
Road*  in  1735-36.  In  that  report  they  make  no 
mention  of  farms  or  buildings  of  any  kind,  except  the 
"  Presbyterian's  Meeting-House,"  in  the  entire  dis- 
tance from  the  Welsh  Mountain,  or  Lancaster  County 
line,  to  several  miles  northeast  of  this  place. 

Indeed,  even  so  late  as  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  the  roads  were  little  more  than  "  bridle- 
paths" through  the  forest.  Those,  therefore,  whom 
business  detained  to  a  late  hour  at  Chester,  then  the 
"seat  of  justice,"  were  often  obliged  to  leave  the 
"finding  of  the  way  home"  to  that  sagacious  animal, 
the  horse. 

Mr.  Black  had  been  settled  but  a  short  time  as  pas- 
tor, when  the  difference  of  views  which  prevailed  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  which  finally  led  to  the 
"  Great  Schism,"  caused  dissensions  between  him  and 
his  people,  and  gave  rise  to  charges  and  counter- 
eharges  which  were  far  from  creditable  to  either  the 
pastor  or  the  members  of  his  flock.  This  state  of 
affairs,  alike  unfavorable  to  the  growth  of  the  Church 
and  the  promotion  of  piety,  continued  in  this  and 
other  congregations  until  the  Protest  of  June  1, 
1741,  closed  the  controversy,  and  the  Presbyterian 


*  Peixtan,  spelled  Peichong,  Pechetan,  Paxtang,  and  Paxton,  in  old 
records,  once  an  Indian  wigwam  or  village  where  Harrisburg  nrnv 
stands.     (Rupp,  "  Hist,  of  Lancaster  Co.") 


28         HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Church  became  two  separate  bodies  with  a  distinct 
organization. 

Immediately  after  this  event  a  majority  of  Mr. 
Black's  charge  withdrew,  and,  those  who  remained 
being  too  few  to  sustain  weekly  services  on  the  Sab- 
bath, the  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved. 

The  minority,  Old  Side,  either  by  an  amicable 
arrangement  or  a  determined  resistance,  kept  posses- 
sion of  the  meeting-house  and  ground,  and  obtained 
permission  from  Presbytery  to  engage  the  services  of 
Mr.  Boyd,  of  Octoraro,  one-half  of  his  time,  at  a 
yearly  salary  of  twenty  pounds,  Pennsylvania  cur- 
rency. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  installed  on  the  12th  of  August, 
1741,  and  eontinued  to  be  their  pastor  until  a  few 
months  after  the  reunion,  May  28,  1758,  when  he 
ceased  to  occupy  their  pulpit,  although  the  pastoral 
relation  was  not  formally  dissolved. 

In  the  mean  time,  those  who  seceded,  New  Side, 
were  not  inactive.  They  purchased  a  rectangular  lot 
of  ground  containing  three  acres,  a  little  to  the  east 
of  the  former  church  property,  and  erected  a  com- 
fortable building  for  public  worship.  They  were 
regularly  supplied  by  the  Synod  of  New  Brunswick 
until  May  or  June,  1745,  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dean 
became  their  pastor.  He  remained  until  his  death,  in 
July,  1748. 

Of  the  condition  of  this  church  during  his  short 
ministry  no  record   can   be  found,*  but,  from  the  tra- 


*  The  Miuutes  of  the  "  New  Side"  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  are 
lost. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  29 

ditional  popularity  and  faithfulness  of  Mr.  Dean,  the 
conclusion  may  be  drawn  that  it  was  highly  pros- 
perous. 

After  his  death,  although  the  congregation  gave  a 
call  to  a  Mr.  John  Todd,  and  perhaps  to  some  others, 
they  remained  without  a  stated  pastor,  but,  as  the 
heat  of  the  controversy  cooled  with  the  lapse  of  years, 
many  of  them  attended  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Boyd. 

From  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Boyd,  in  the  autumn 
of  1758,  until  the  installation  of  Mr.  Carmichael,  in 
the  spring  of  1761,  the  pulpits  of  both  the  churches 
were  vacant,  and  public  worship  seems  to  have  been 
in  a  measure  suspended. 

After  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Carmichael,  an  almost 
immediate  change  took  place.  Energetic,  zealous,  and 
faithful,  he  soon  acquired  a  commanding  influence, 
which  resulted  in  the  erection  of  a  large  and  con- 
venient meeting-house,  the  restoration  of  harmony 
among  the  people,  and  the  addition  of  many  to  the 
congregation. 

During  the  struggle  for  National  Independence, 
when,  as  happens  in  almost  all  wars,  inroads  are  made 
on  morals  and  piety  languishes,  the  religious  fervor  of 
his  people  was  not  permitted  to  cool,  nor  the  efforts 
to  arrest  the  torrent  of  vice  to  become  either  few  or 
weak. 

Believing  with  the  Hebrew  King,  that  he  who  win- 
neth  souls  is  wise,  Mr.  Carmichael,  after  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  conflict,  labored  with  increased 
diligence  for  the  conversion  of  sinners,  until  his  death 
left  his  congregation  to  mourn  the  loss  of  their  beloved 
pastor. 


30  BISTORT    OF    THE    PKEsnYTI't:  I  A  \    curwil 

From  tli"  commencement  to  the  end  of  his  ministry, 
although  there  were  few  copious  showers,  yet  the 
outspread  fleece  was  always  wet  with  the  dews  of 
In 'iiven. 

A  few  months  after  the  decease  of  Mr.  Carmichael 
the  church  building  was  destroyed  hy  fire.  As  this 
occurred  at  a  period  of  financial  depression  and  un- 
certainty, the  hand  of  affliction  seemed  to  be  laid 
heavily  upon  the  flock  without  a  shepherd.  Trusting, 
however,  that  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  would 
temper  His  chastisements  with  mercy,  they  obtained 
supplies  from  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  and  also 
of  Philadelphia,  engaged  energetically  in  the  collec- 
tion of  funds,  and  soon  commenced  the  reconstruction 
of  their  meeting-house. 

Among  those  who  supplied  the  vacant  pulpit,  was 
Nathan  Grier,  a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of  Phil- 
adelphia. His  preaching  was  so  well  received  that 
before  the  building  was  completed  the  congregation 
gave  him  a  unanimous  call.  This  he  accepted,  and, 
having  placed  himself  under  the  care  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Castle,  to  which  the  church  belonged,  was 
ordained  and  installed  the  twenty-second  of  August, 
L787. 

Mr.  Grier  entered  with  zeal  on  the  discharge  of 
the  duties  of  his  pastorate,  and  the  results  of  his  in- 
dustry and  faithfulness  soon  became  manifest.  The 
rebuilding  of  the  meeting-house  was  finished.  The 
difficulties  which  arose  from  the  unsettled  monetary 
condition  of  the  country  were  overcome,  and  the 
burden  of  Borrow  was  lifted  from  the  hearts  of 
those    who,  adopting    the    plaintive    language   of    the 


IN  "the  foeks  of  beandywine."  31 

prophet,*  had  refused  to  be  comforted  on  accounl  of 

the  destruction  of  the  house  of  God  and  the  death 
of  him  who  had  ministered  at  its  altar. 

Having  the  reputation  of  an  able  divine,  "apt  to 
teach,"  members  of  his  congregation  and  others  \\\u) 
were  preparing  for  the  Christian  ministry  gladly 
placed  themselves  under  his  direction.  They  were 
faithfully  trained,  and  near  a  score  of  young  men 
went  forth  prepared  to  battle  with  the  arch-enemy  of 
souls. 

But  the  labors  of  Mr.  Grier  as  a  teacher  and  a 
pastor  were  unexpectedly  ended.  While  his  eye  was 
scarcely  dimmed  and  his  natural  force  unabated,  he 
was  removed  from  his  abode  on  earth  to  his  Heavenly 
home.  The  grief  on  account  of  his  death  was  wide- 
spread, and  a  greater  number  followed  his  remains  to 
the  grave  than  the  most  aged  had  ever  seen  assem- 
bled on  a  similar  occasion. 

How  many  were  connected  with  the  Church  at  the 
commencement  of  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Grier  cannot  be  ascertained.  At  its  close  the  num- 
ber of  members  was  two  hundred  and  thirty-two. 
A  record  of  those  admitted  annually  to  the  Church 
the  last  ten  years  of  his  pastorate  has  been  pre- 
served. Taking  the  addition  to  the  membership 
each  year  of  that  period  as  the  annual  average,  not 
less  than  six  hundred  became  connected  with  the 
Church  during  the  nearly  twenty-seven  years  of  his 
ministry. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Grief,  a  call   from 


*  Isaiah  lxiv.  11. 


the  congregation  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  his 
younger  son,  the  Rev.  J.  N.  C.  Grier.  This  call  he 
accepted,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  November, 
L81  1.  entered  on  his  pastorate  of  upwards  of  fifty- 
four  years. 

At  thai  period  many  of  the  customs  and  habits  of 
the  firsl  3ettlers  prevailed.  The  members  of  the  con- 
eregation  came  on  horseback  or  a-foot  to  attend  the 
services  of  the  sanetnary,  a  large  number  of  them 
clothed  in  garments  of  domestic  manufacture.  Visits 
tu  the  cities,  or  intercourse  with  the  world  at  a  dis- 
tance, were  Limited.  There  was  no  post-office  nearer 
than  Coatesville  or  Downingtown,  and  few  religious 
periodicals.  Sunday-schools  were  not  organized  in  a 
single  church  connected  with  the  Presbytery,  and 
societies  for  the  suppression  of  intemperance  were 
unknown.  Bui  an  increase  of  facilities  for  travel 
ami  the  general  advance  of  improvement  wrought 
changes.  A  post-office  was  established  at  a  convenient 
distance  in  1816.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized  in 
1820,  a  missionary  society  in  1829,  and  a  temperance 
association  formed  in  1831.  A  religious  newspaj^er, 
published  at  Wilmington,  Delaware,  was  taken  by 
several  members  of  the  Church,  and  the  taste  for 
reading  created  among  the  young  by  the  publications 
of  the  Sunday-School  ami  the  Tract  Society*  led,  a  few 
years  Later,  to  the  general  support  and  perusal  of  the 
Presbyterian,  Presbyterian  Journal,  American  Messen- 
'/<  /■,  and  ot  her  religious  periodicals. 

In  several  of  these  movements  Dr.  Grier  took  an 


<  Organized  in  1825. 


IN    "TUT    PORKS    OF    BRANDYWINE."  33 

active  and  in  others  a  leading  part,  while  all  of  them 
had  his  cordial  support. 

But  his  labors  were  not  confined  to  merely  bettering 
the  temporal  condition,  or  in  improving-  and  increas- 
ing the  facilities  for  acquiring  knowledge.  In  the 
pulpit  he  faithfully  preached  Jesus  Christ  and  Him 
crucified  as  the  sinner's  only  hope  of  safety,  and 
earnestly  besought  the  impenitent  to  lay  hold  of  the 
salvation  offered  in  the  Gospel.  At  every  communion 
there  was  an  addition  to  the  church  membership,  but 
in  1822,  and  especially  in  1831  and  several  years 
immediately  following,  there  was  a  copious  "refresh- 
ing from  the  Lord,"  and  a  large  number  became 
members  of  his  charge.  Such  was  the  success  of 
his  labors  that,  notwithstanding  four  Presbyterian 
Churches  which  "live  and  flourish,"  and  ten  belong- 
ing to  other  denominations  were  organized  within 
what  had  been  the  bounds  of  his  charge,  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Church  at  the  close  of  his  ministry 
was  about  the  same  as  when  he  entered  on  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  pastor. 

Although  Dr.  Grier  was  not  called  upon,  as  Mr.  ( Jar- 
michael  had  been,  to  aid  in  the  struggle  for  National 
Independence,  nor,  like  his  father,  to  train  young  men 
as  ambassadors  for  Christ,  yet  he  added  by  his  faith- 
fulness to  the  number  of  those  who  went  forth  as 
heralds  of  the  everlasting  Gospel.  During  his  pas- 
torate sixteen  young  men  to  whom  he  first  broke  the 
"  Bread  of  Life"  devoted  themselves  to  the  Christian 
ministry.  Two  of  them,  Mr.  David  Templeton  and 
Mr.  Matthew  Brown,  were  removed  to  the  "better 
land"    before   they    had     finished    their    theological 


:;i  HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

course.  The  other  fourteen,  of  whom  short  bio- 
graphical sketches  are  given  in  this  work,  became 
faithful  Boldiers  of  the  Cross.  Eight  of  them  have 
foughl  tlui  good  fighl  and  finished  their  course  re- 
joicing. One,  after  a  successful  pastorate  of  twenty- 
one  years,  was  forced  by  ill  health  to  withdraw  from 
active  Bervice  al  the  altar;  another  was  the  founder  and 
for  a  long  period  the  principal  of  a  popular  educational 
institution,  and  a  third  is  the  senior  editor  of  a  widely- 
circulated  and  influential  religious  newspaper.  The 
remaining  live  are  engaged  in  making  known  "the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ"  in  each  of  the  Middle 
and  one  of  the  Western  States. 

But  while  Dr.  Grier  was  zealously  and  earnestly 
engaged  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  sacred 
calling,  the  lapse  of  more  than  half  a  century  brought 
changes.  The  members  of  Presbytery  with  whom  he 
firsl  met  had  passed  away.  A  majority  of  his  hearers 
on  the  Sabbath  were  the  descendants  of  those  who  had 
invited  him  to  take  the  spiritual  oversight  of  the  c<  a  1- 
gregation.  The  infirmities  of  more  than  threescore 
and  ten  pressed  heavily  upon  him,  and,  feeling  that  he 
was  no  longer  able  to  labor  in  the  Master's  vineyard, 
he  requested  and  obtained  a  dissolution  of  the  pastoral 
relation.* 

After  i  he  retirement  of  Dr.  Grier  the  congregation 
was  dependent  on  supplies.  Among  those  who  oc- 
cupied the  vacant  pulpit  was  the  Kev.  Win.  W. 
Heberton,  ;i  licentiate  of  the  Central  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia.     The   services   of  Mr.  Heberton    were 

*  Appeudix  H. 


IX   "the    FORKS   OF    BRAND YWINE."  35 

so  well  received  that  a  call  made  on  the  18th  of  July, 
1860,  by  the  congregation,  to  become  their  pastor,  was 
placed  in  bis  hands,  which  he  accepted,  and  was 
ordained  and  installed  October  28,  1809.  The 
pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  in  October,  1872,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Chester. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Heberton  the  parson- 
age was  built,  twenty-nine  were  added  to  the  member- 
ship of  the  Church,  and  three  of  the  Ruling  Elders 
were  removed  by  death. 

In  June,  187o,  Mr.  Heberton  was  installed  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Elkton,  Md.,  where 
"  the  work  of  the  Lord  has  prospered  in  his  hands." 
Near  a  hundred  have  united  with  the  Church  during 
his  ministry,  Christian  harmony  prevails,  and  the 
influence  for  good  of  both  the  pastor  and  his  people 
is  daily  increasing.* 

After  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Heberton  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bingham,  of  Oxford, 
Pa.,  and  by  some  young  men  who  were  candidates  for 
settlement.  Among  them  was  the  Rev.  John  M'Coll, 
a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Toronto,  Canada,  and 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton. 


*  Mr.  Heberton  is  a  native  of  Columbia  County,  in  tins  State.  His 
classical  studies  were  pursued  at  Media,  Delaware  County,  and  bis 
collegiate  at  Lafayette,  Easton,  wbere  be  was  graduated  in  1865.  Be 
spent  tbe  next  eighteen  months  after  his  graduation  in  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  then  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton. 
He  finished  his  preparation  for  the  ministry  in  the  spring  of  1809, 
and  was  licensed  in  April  of  that  year.  His  pastoral  oversight  of 
this  congregation  was  his  first  charge. 


BISTORT    OF     l  M  l      PRESBYTERIAN    CHUR<  B 

The  ministrations  of  Mr.  M'Coll  were  so  satisfac- 
tory thai  he  received  a  call  from  the  congregation  to 
become  their  pastor,  and  was  ordained  and  installed 
by  ,i  committee  of  the  Preshytery  of  Chester  on  the 
24th  of  July,  L873.  On  that  occasion  the  Rev.  J. 
Collier  presided,  Rev.  Mr.  Totheroth  preached  the 
8ermon,  Rev.  Mr.  Pomeroy  charged  the  pastor,  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Collier  the  people.  The  trial-sermon  of 
Mr.  M'Coll  was  from  Heb.  iv.  12. 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  M'Coll  has  been  successful,  and 
the  membership  of  the  church  under  his  discreet  over- 
sighl  has  increased.  Two  Sabbath-schools  have  been 
organized  in  t lie  outlying  districts  of  his  charge. 
The  new  church  edifice  is  filled  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
a  growing  interest  in  the  subject  of  religion  is  daily 
becoming  more  manifest. 

The  meeting-house  having  become  scarcely  safe  for 
public  worship  and  the  congregation  having  resolved 
to  build  another,  Mr.  M'Coll  aided  greatly  in  the 
furtherance  of  the  work  by  the  collection  and  disburse- 
ment of  funds,  the  arrangement  of  plans,  and  encour- 
agement .it  periods  of  difficulty  and  despondency. 
Finally,  his  efforts,  seconded  by  the  liberality  of  his 
congregation,  were  crowned  with  success.  When  the 
new  meeting-house,  free  from  debt,  was  dedicated  to 
the  service  of  the  Triune  God,  he  could  thankfully 
and  reverently  have  asked,  in  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist,  "  Who  am  I  and  what  is  my  people  that  we 
should  he  able  to  offer  so  willingly  utter  this  sorl  '.'" 

May    the    pastorate   SO   auspiciously  begun    be    long 

continued,  and   on   the  Greal    Day  may  many,  very 
many,  whom   he  had  gathered  into  the   fold   of  the 


IN  "the  porks  of  brandywfne."  '■'>! 

Redeemer,  shine  as  stars  in  the  "Crown  of  his  rejoic- 


MEETING-HOUSEs,; 

FIRST    M  EETIN<  J  -HOUSE. 

Of  this  building  we  have  no  authentic  information, 
except  such  as  some  remains  of  the  foundation  which 
existed  at  a  comparatively  recent  period  afforded  of 
its  size  and  situation,  and  a  few  collateral  statements 
which  have  escaped  the  ravages  of  time.  In  all  else 
tradition  is  the  only  authority.  But  in  this  instance 
tradition  agrees  with  the  recorded  description  of 
buildings  erected  for  the  same  purpose  in  the  pioneer 
settlements  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  the 
western  counties  of  our  own  State. 

This  meeting-house,  which  was  built  either  in  the 
summer  or  fall  of  1734,  stood  in  what  is  now  a  part 
of  the  "  upper  graveyard,"  a  few  rods  east  from  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  ground  which  the  congrega- 
tion had  obtained  for  church  purposes.  The  size  was 
about  forty  feet  by  twenty-five.  It  was  placed,  like 
nearly  all  buildings  erected  at  that  period,  with  the 
front  to  the  south,  and  north  of  the  Indian  trail,  then 
used  as  the  highway.     The  material  used  was  un- 


*  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Newcastle  ;  Minutes  of  Presbytery 
of  Donegal ;  Dr.  Grier's  "  Historical  Discourse ;"  Cburch  Records ; 
Local  Memoranda. 

•j-  Buildings  set  apart  for  public  worship  by  the  early  settlers,  Bap- 
tists, Presbyterians,  and  Friends,  were  called  meeting-houses,  as  they 
still  are  by  the  last-named  denomination.  In  England  the  places  of 
worship  of  the  Dissenters  are  uniformly  called  meeting-houses. 


HISTOR?    OF    Till:    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

hewn  logs,  ridged  and  notched  at  the  corners,  and  Lei 
into  wliai  workmen  call  a  king-posl  in  the  middle  of 
each  Bide.      It   was  low,  dimly  lighted,  unplastered, 

and  without  any  means  of  obtaining  heat.  Logs  cleft 
in  two  and  smoothed  on  one  side  Berved  as  seats,  and 
the  pulpil  was  little  more  than  a  rough,  elevated  table. 
Rudely  constructed  and  poorly  furnished,  it  was  also 
far  from  being  a  substantial  building.  This  is  shown 
by  the  tact  that,  although  it  was  used,  at  least  twice  a 
month,  during  twenty-five  years  for  divine  worship, 
and  considerable  repairs  must  have  been  made,  yet  at 
i he  end  <>f  that  period  it  was  wholly  unfit  for  the 
public  services  of  the  sanctuary. 

That  comfortless  structure  would  contrast  strangely 
will i  the  commodious  edifice  which  has  recently  been 
l.nilt  :  and  yet  many  interesting  events,  events  which 
ought  never  to  be  forgotten,  are  associated  with  that 
primitive  meeting-house.  In  it  those  worshipped  who 
organized  a  church  in  this  portion  of  what  was  then 
a  wilderness.  There  Samuel  Black  entered  on  the 
arduous  labors  of  a  pioneer  minister  of  the  Gospel; 
and  there  Adam  Boyd,  during  seventeen  years,  broke 
the  Bread  of  Life  to  those  who  had  come  for  Spiritual 
nourishmenl  through  pal  hless  forests  and  from  humble 
holm-,  and  who  devoutly  thanked  God  that  they  could 
worship  i  I  in)  without  the  dread  of  banishment,  the 
dungeon,  or  the  stake. 

More  than  a  century  has  passed  since  Black  and 
Boyd  were  called  to  their  reward,  and  the  features  of 
.ill  and  even  the  names  of  the  greater  part  of  their 
hearers  are  no  longer  remembered;  but  the  germs  of 
truth    which    i  hey    planted    continue   to    flourish   and 


i\  "the  porks  of   i;i:am)y\v[m."  :'.'.) 

bear  immorta]  fruit.  The  ground  which  they  devoted 
to  sacred  purposes  is  still  hallowed  ground,  and  along 
the  course  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  arc  strewn 
blessed  proofs  that  the  Most  High  has  had  the  Church 
then  organized  in  His  Holy  Keeping. 


SECOND    MEETIX(;-HOUSE. 

This  was  probably  built  in  1744,  and  may  have 
been  one  of  the  inducements  which  led  the  lie  v.  Mr. 
Dean  to  accept  a  second  call  from  the  New  Side  con- 
gregation. It  stood  on  the  vacant  ground  immediately 
above  the  "lower  graveyard,"  with  the  front  to  the 
south.  It  was  a  well-constructed  frame  building, 
about  forty-five  feet  by  thirty-five,  one  story  high, 
with  a  hipped  or  angular  roof,  and  without  a  gallery.* 

There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  means  for 
affording  heat  in  the  building  ;  but  this  inconvenience 
was  probably  obviated,  to  some  extent,  by  the  Session- 
House,  which  was  placed  near  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  property.  This,  like  the  Session-Houses  built  at 
an  early  period  in  other  parts  of  this  State,  may  have 
been  furnished  with  a  fireplace,  where  persons  could 
have  the  benefit  of  heat  before  they  entered  the  main 
building. 

When  the  union  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  took 
place,  in  1758,  and  the  first  meeting-house  was  aban- 


*  The  difference  between  the  first  and  the  second  meeting-house 
shows  the  advance  which  had  been  made  in  ten  years  in  the  prepara- 
tion and  use  of  materials.  The  first  saw-mill  in  the  vicinity,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  was  built  about  1740,  on  the  West  Branch  of  the 
Brandywine,  above  the  Beaver  Dam. 


|<>         HISTORY    OF    THE    PRE8RYTERIA1S    CHURCH 

donedj  this  building  was  too  small  to  accommodate  all 
win.  assembled  on  the  Sabbath,  ami  after  the  erection 
of  the  Manor  Meeting-House  it  was  qo  longer  used 
as  a  place  for  public  worship;  It  remained  unoccu- 
pied several  years,  until  the  members  who  residedin 
the  eastern  bounds  of  the  congregation  moved  it  to 
the  ground  connected  with  the  new  church  edifice 
and  placed  it  aboul  sixty  yards  to  the  east  of  that 
building.  There  it  served,  partly  as  a  shed  for  stand- 
in-  borses,  partly  as  a  place  for  depositing  saddles 
and  umbrellas  in  stormy  weather,  and  remained 
until  the  winter  of  1812  or  '13,  when  it  was  blown 
down  and  the  materials  used  for  fuel. 

Although  this  building  stood  upwards  of  two-thirds 
of  a  century,  public  worship  was  not  conducted  in  it 
more  than  fifteen  or  sixteen  years;  but  during  those 
pears  many  incidents  worthy  of  record  took  place 
within  its  walls.  In  it  Dean  performed  his  last 
labor  ere  he  was  called  to  his  Heavenly  rest;  and 
Samuel  Blair,  John  Blair,  William  Tennent,  and 
others  scarcely  less  eminent,  dwelt  with  awakening 
earnestness  on  the  condition  of  the  lost.  There  John 
Carmichael  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  united  con- 
gregations, and  entered  on  that  important  relation 
which  ended  only  with  his  Life,  and  from  its  sacred 
desk  was  diffused  a  warm,  active  piety,  alike  opposed 
to  cold  formality  and  a  listless  profession. 


IX    "THE    FORKS    OF    MlAXDYWrXK."  41 


THIRD   MEETING-HOUSE. — "MANOR  MEETING-HOUSE."* 

The  erection  of  lli is  meeting-house,  as  is  stated  else- 
where, was  due  in  a  greal  measure  to  the  energy  and 
popularity  of  the  pastor,  Mr.  Carmichael.  The  united 
congregations  rightly  judging  thai  the  number  attend- 
ing on  the  services  of  the  sanctuary  would  be  largely 
increased,  determined  to  erect  a  building  which  would 
accommodate  all.  They  immediately  made  efforts  to 
obtain  the  means,  and  were  so  successful  that  the 
work  was  commenced  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer 
of  1761.  Their  recently  installed  pastor,  whose  labor 
in  forwarding  the  undertaking  had  been  unceasing, 
delivered  an  animated  address  when  the  corner-stone 
was  laid,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremonies,  in 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  time,  threw  a 
Twenty-Shilling  note  on  the  stone  to  treat  the  masons. 
The  building  was  erected  under  the  direction  of 
Samuel  Cunningham,f  chief  carpenter.    No  cut  stone 


*  It  received  the  name  of  the  Manor  Meeting- House  because  it 
was  placed  within  the  limits  of  Springtown  (Springton)  Manor. 
This  Manor  was  laid  out  in  1729,  but  its  boundaries  were  not  finally 
determined  until  near  a  score  of  years  afterwards.  It  included  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  present  Township  of  Wallace,  and  portions  of 
West  Brandywine,  West  Nantmeal,  and  Honeybrook.  The  first  set- 
tlers in  this  Manor  were,  with  two  or  three  exceptions,  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish.  The  misnomer,  Brandywine  Manor,  given  to  the  first 
post-office  established  near  the  Church  edifice,  gradually  led  to  its 
being  applied  to  the  Church  itself,  by  which  name,  except  in  ecclesias- 
tical records,  it  is  now  generally  known. 

"{*  Samuel  Cunningham,  whose  remains  were  interred  in  the  "  lower 
graveyard,"  was  a  Member  of  the  Assembly  from  Chester  County  in 
1776-77  ;  a  Delegate  to  the  Convention  which  formed  the  First 
Constitution  of  Pennsylvania ;  a  Collector  of  the   Excise,  and   many 

4 


p_>         iiisTmKY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

was  used  in  the  construction,  nor  any  lumber  which 
was  doI  obtained  from  the  ueighboring  forests,  except 
the  outer  covering  of  the  roof. 

This  Meeting-House  was  sixty-five  feel  by  forty- 
five,  two  stories  high,  and  al  the  time  of  its  erection 
was  the  largest  stone  edifice  in  the  northwestern  pari 
of  Chester  County. 

The  Pulpit  was  placed  in  the  South  side  of  the 
building.  There  was  an  entrance  at  the  East  end, 
and  another  at  the  West,  connected  by  an  aisle  which 
equally  divided  the  lower  part  of  the  building  or 
audience-room.  Another  aisle  led  from  this  to  an 
entrance  on  the  North  side  opposite  the  Pulpit.  All 
the  pews  were  arranged  from  North  to  South.  Those, 
therefore,  who  occupied  the  pews  North  of  the  main 
aisle  sal  with  a  side  to  the  Pulpit.  There  were  no 
Hues  nor  any  arrangement  made  in  the  construction 
of  the  building  for  supplying  heat. 

This  Meeting-House  was  never  completed  accord- 
in-  to  the  original  plan;  the  gallery  and  some  other 
part-  being  omitted  on  account  of  a  want  of  funds. 

In  order  to  afford  some  degree  of  warmth  vessels 
made  of  sheet-iron  and  shaped  like  a  mill-hopper 
were  placed  in  the  aisles  and  filled  with  live  coals. 
Some  of  the   coals  falling  on  the  floor   caused   the 

destructic f  the  building  in  February,  1786.     The 

-••xtoii,  it  was  said,  saw  the  light  when  the  fire  might 
bave  been  extinguished,  but  being  a  believer  in  ap- 


yi  :irs  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  His  death  occurred  June  22,  180G, 
aged  seventy-four.  A  great-grandson  of  Esqr.  Cunningham,  Matthew 
Brown,  died  while  preparing  to  enter  the  ministry. 


IN    "THE    FORKS    OF    I'.IIA  X  I>  VWI  M..  43 

paritions,  he  did  not  venture  near  until  others  attracted 
by  the  light  arrived,  when  nothing  could  be  done  to 
arrest  the  progress  of  the  flames. 

The  members  of  the  congregation,  deeply  grieved 
by  the  recent  death  of  their  beloved  pastor,  Mr.  ( Jar- 
michael,  were  now  subjected  to  the  additional  affliction 
of  seeing  all  that  was  combustible  in  their  Meeting- 
House  reduced  to  ashes.  They  were  dismayed  but 
not  disheartened.  In  the  beginning  of  the  next 
month,  March,  178(5,  they  addressed  a  well-written  and 
earnest  appeal*  to  their  Christian  brethren  for  assist- 
ance, and  appointed  agents  to  solicit  aid. 

Among  the  most  diligent  of  those  engaged  in 
collecting  funds  was  Elder  William  Hunter.  He 
called  for  that  purpose  not  only  at  every  house  within 
a  distance  of  several  miles,  but  even  accosted  persons 
on  the  highway,  earnestly  requesting  and  thankfully 
receiving  even  the  smallest  amount.  He  also  visited 
Chester,  the  Turk's  Head,  now  West  Chester,  and 
Philadelphia,  then  the  seat  of  the  general  government, 
where  he  obtained  assistance  from  the  following  well- 
known  citizens : 

Dr.  Rush  and  Dr.  Franklin,  Signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence. 

David  Rittenhouse,  the  celebrated  mathematician, 
and  the  first  Director  of  the  Mint  of  the  United 
States. 

Edward  Shippen,  the  first  Mayor  of  Philadelphia, 
and  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State. 

William  Shippen,  a  Professor  in  the  University  of 

*  See  Appendix  A. 


II         HISTORV    OF   THE    i'i:i>r.YTi:i;iAN   CHIMK  II 

Pennsylvania,  and  the  first  who  delivered  a  course  of 
Medical  Lectures  in  America. 

Willi;:  in  Bradford,  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
Stat 

Colonel  Andrew  Porter,  an  officer  in  the  army 
of  the  Revolution,  and  Surveyor-General  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Tench  Coxe,  an  able  writer  on  Political  Economy. 

General  John  Potter,  a  distinguished  officer  in  the 
<  lontinental  army. 

John  Nicholson,  the  well-known  land  agent. 

Jonathan  L).  Sargent,  at  that  time  the  leading 
member  of  the  Philadelphia  Bar. 

Mark  Wilcox,  an  influential  merchant. 

Joseph  and  Colonel  William  Dean,  sons  of  the 
Pew  William  Dean,  and  many  others  less  known, 
but  not  less  benevolent. 

These  names  are  given  to  show  that  at  a  period 
when  the  country  was  impoverished  by  war,  when  it 
had  only  a  depreciated  and  depreciating  currency, 
and  was  without  a  stable  form  of  government,  men 
of  nil  classes  contributed  to  the  fund  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  venerable  building  which  withstood  the 
Btorms  of  more  than  a  century  and  around  which  so 
many  hallowed  associations  clustered. 

But  to  return  to  the  history  of  the  reconstruction 
of  the  ( Jhurch  edilice.  When  sufficient  funds  had  been 
collected,  as  the  members  of  the  congregation  supposed, 
io  restore  their  Meeting-House,  the  work  was  com- 
menced. The  walls,  with  the  exception  of  the  gables, 
having  been  found  on  examination  to  be  so  far  unin- 
jured as  mil    io  require  them  to  be  taken  down,  the 


IX  "the  forks  of  braxdywixe."  45 

reconstruction  was  confined  mainly  to  roofing  the 
building  and  restoring  the  interior.  In  doing  this 
several  alterations  and  some  additions  were  made. 
A  gallery  was  placed  along  each  end  and  the  side 
opposite  the  Pulpit.  The  pews  North  of  the  Main 
Aisle,  which  formerly  ran  from  North  to  South,  were 
arranged  in  a  direction  East  and  West,  or  at  right 
angles  to  those  South  of  that  avenue.  Flues  were 
built  in  the  gables,  and  ten-plate  stoves,  the  gift  of 
Colonel  Grubb,  of  Lancaster  County,  were  placed  in 
the  aisles.  The  Pulpit  was  remodelled,  made  to 
occupy  less  space,  and  furnished  with  a  "sounding- 
board,"  or  projection  from  the  wall  over  the  head  of 
the  speaker.  At  the  base  of  the  Pulpit  and  not  un- 
like it,  though  smaller,  a  stand  was  arranged  for  the 
use  of  the  precentors,  or  those  who  led  the  choir.  To 
prevent  accidents  by  fire  in  the  same  manner  as  had 
occurred,  the  aisles  were  laid  with  mortar  or  cement 
instead  of  boards. 

The  reconstruction  was  done  under  the  direction  of 
Samuel  Cunningham,  Esq.,  who,  as  before  stated,  had 
the  oversight  of  the  building  when  it  was  first  erected. ::: 
Although  the  work  was  commenced  in  the  summer  of 
1786,  it  progressed  slowly,  and  the  building  was  not 
entirely  completed  when  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grrier  was 
installed  as  pastor,  in  August,  1787.  The  cost,  as 
appears  by  the  Treasurer's  account,  was  a  little  more 
than  a  Thousand  Pounds  Pennsylvania  currency,  or 
about  twenty-seven  hundred  dollars. 

*  He  superintended  the  erection  of  the  second  Meeting-House  ai 
Fagg's  Manor,  and  probably  of  the  third  Meeting-House  at  Octoraro, 
built  in  1769. 


IT,         HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

This  meeting-house  remained  without  any  change 
in  the  interior  and  with  trifling  repairs,  except  a  new 
roof  'in  L 827),  until  L839.  In  thai  vein-  it  was  re- 
modelled and  made  to  conform  in  a  considerable 
degree  t<»  the  plan  adopted  in  the  arrangement  of 
Church  edifices  al  the  present  time.  As  the  alterations 
then  made  remained  until  the  building  was  taken 
down,  in  L875,  it  is  unnecessary  to  state  them  ex- 
cepl  as  matters  of  record.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the 
door  at  the  North  side,  and  also  the  one  at  the  East 
.■ml.  were  walled  up.  Instead  of  these  a  door  was 
made  mi  the  South  side  about  twelve  feet  from  the  East 
eniiiei-.  An  aisle  led  from  this  door  in  front  of  the 
Pulpit,  which  was  placed  in  a  recess  at  the  East  end  of 
the  building.  A  gallery  was  constructed  along  both 
sides  and  the  end  opposite  the  Pulpit.  This  gallery 
was  readied  by  a  flight  of  stairs  on  each  side  of  the 
vestibule,  which  adjoined  the  main  entrance  at  the 
Wesl  end.  Aisles  with  a  row  of  pews  on  each  side  led 
from  the  vestibule  to  the  aisle  in  front  of  the  Pulpit. 

Such  are  the  main  facts  connected  with  a  building 
whose  walls  stood  one  hundred  and  fourteen  years, 
and  whose  size  and  situation  remained  unchanged 
during  that  long  period.  When  it  was  erected  there 
was  no  other  house  for  public  worship  within  ten 
mile.--  in  any  direction  except  the  Seceder  Meeting- 
Bouse,  oo  longer  in  existence,  and  the  Friends'  Meet- 
ing-House  "up  on  the  hill  from  the  valley,"  Old 
Cain,  built  in  L756.  Now,  in  addition  to  four  other 
(  lnirch  edifices  belonging  to  Presbyterians,  there  are 
in  the  same  hounds  twenty  buildings  for  Divine  wor- 
ship, occupied  by  live  different  denominations. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  47 

It  may  be  stated  as  a  fitting  close  to  the  history  of 
the  Manor  Meeting-House,  that  from  the  dedication 
of  the  building  in  1701  until  it  was  taken  down  in 
L875,*  the  congregations  worshipping  in  it  were  not 
more  than  three  years  without  a  stated  ministry. 
Also  that  during  one  hundred  and  five  years  of  thai 
interval  its  pulpit  was  occupied  by  three  pastors  only, 
— the  Rev.  John  Carmichael,  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier, 
and  the  Rev.  J.  N.  C.  Grier,  D.D.  An  example  of 
Christian  harmony  and  of  attachment  between  pastors 
and  people  which  has  few  parallels  even  in  the  annals 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.f 

FOURTH    MEETING-HOUSE. 

The  Manor  Meeting-House  having  become  in  a 
measure  unsafe,  and  in  need  of  extensive  repairs,  the 
question  arose,  whether  it  would  be  better  to  place  that 
building  in  a  proper  condition  for  public  worship  or 
to  erect  another.  On  the  one  hand,  it  was  evident 
that  repairing  it  would  only  be  a  postponement  for 
some  years  of  the  erection  of  a  church  edifice,  and 
that,  if  refitted  in  the  best  manner  possible,  it  would 
still  be  wanting  in  a  lecture-room  and  other  conven- 
iences, now  deemed  necessary  in  houses  set  apart  for 
the  services  of  the  sanctuary.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
expense  of  erecting  a  building  at  a  period  of  pecun- 
iary embarrassment,  and  the  desire  of  many  to  preserve 


*  The  last  sermon  was  preached  in  the  building  June  13,  1S75,  hy 
the  pastor,  Mr.  M'Coll,  from  Jeremiah  vi.  13. 

f  Local  Memoranda;  Records  of  Session ;  Minutes  of  Presbytery 
of  Newcastle. 


18         BI8TORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

the  meeting-house  in  which  they  and  their  fathers 
bad  worshipped,  were  subjects  for  earnesl  and  thought- 
ful consideration. 

Several  meetings  were  held,  al  which  the  matter  was 
discussed  and  carefully  examined  in  all  its  bearings3 
1,111  without  arriving  al  a  definite  conclusion.  At  last 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  report  on  the  condition 
of  the  meeting-house,  and  to  state  whether  it  would  be 
besl  to  repair  or  to  build. 

On  the  i' Itii  of  March,  1S74,  the  committee  re- 
ported that  after  hearing  the  opinion  of  competent 
men,  Messrs.  Sloan  and  Bunn,  of  Honey  Brook,  who 
had  examined  the  meeting-house,  it  had  been  unan- 
imously resolved  to  recommend  the  erection  of  a  new 
church  edifice.  The  report  was  accepted,  and  a  reso- 
lution adopted  to  proceed  as  soon  as  possible  in  con- 
structing a  building.  The  pastor,  Mr.  McColl,  was 
appointed  to  solicit  funds  for  that  purpose,  and  re- 
quested to  report  when,  according  to  his  judgment,  an 
amount  sufficient  to  war  rant  a  commencement  of  the 
work  had  been  secured. 

Having  entered  on  the  performance  of  the  task 
assigned  bim  with  ancestral  Scotch  zeal  and  persever- 
ance, Mr.  McColl  was  able  to  state  at  a  meeting  of  the 
congregation,  held  the  next  September  (15th),  thai 
in  addition  to  many  offers  of  labor  gratuitously,  up- 
wards of  ten  thousand  dollars  had  been  subscribed. 
h  was  therefore  determined  to  commence  the  work 
early  the  uexl  spring.  At  the  same  meeting  Messrs. 
John  Ralston,  William  Templeton,  and  Baxter  B. 
McClure  were  chosen  a  committee  to  procure  plans 
and  bave  the  general  oversight  in  the  construction  of 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  19 

the  building.     Mr.  McColl  was  also  appointed  treas- 
urer of  the  funds  collected  for  the  "new  erect  ion." 

The  members  of  the  committee,  in  compliance  with 
their  instructions,  examined  several  church  edifices, 
and  engaged  Mr.  Samuel  Sloan,  an  architect  of  Phila- 
delphia, to  furnish  plans.  They  likewise  invited 
proposals  from  builders,  and,  after  careful  deliberation, 
awarded  the  contract  for  the  greater  portion  of  the 
work  to  Mr.  William  Poole,  of  Philadelphia. 

The  masons  1  teg; in  work  on  the  foundation  the  28th 
of  June,  187-"),  and  the  corner-stone  was  laid  with 
appropriate  ceremonies*  on  the  7th  of  August  in  the 
same  year.  Owing,  however,  to  unfavorable  weather, 
the  limited  means  of  the  contractor,  and  other  causes, 
the  work  progressed  -lowly,  and  in  the  beginning  of 
July,  1876,  after  all  the  stone  had  been  laid,  Mr. 
Poole  abandoned  the  contract.  The  members  of  the 
committee  were  therefore  obliged  to  take  upon  them- 
selves the  completing  of  the  building.  They  em- 
ployed Ulysses  K.  Beam,  who  superintended  the 
carpenter  work,  Samuel  B.  Buchannan  the  plaster- 
ing, and  S.  B.  Williams  the  painting. 

The  building,  with  the  exception  of  a  part  of  the 
towel1  and  the  spire,  having  been  at  last  finished,  the 
14th  of  December.  1876,  was  appointed  for  the  dedica- 
tion of  it  to  the  service  of  Almighty  God. 

On  that  occasion  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier  made  the 
opening  prayer,  Dr.  Matthew  B.  Grier  read  a  portion 
of  Scripture,  Dr.  N.  G.  Parke,  of  Pittston,  Pa.,  led 
in   prayer,  and   Dr.   Dickey,   pastor  of   the  Calvary 

*  Sec  Appendix  B. 


50         BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAH    CHUR<  II 

Church,  Philadelphia,  preached  the  sermon  from  II. 
( lor.  iii.  is.  Remarks  were  also  made  by  Rev.  J.  C. 
Thompson,  then  of  Hagerstown,  Md.,  Rev.  .1.  A. 
Liggett,  of  Rahway,  N.  J.,  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Long,  of 
Bloomsbury,  in  the  same  State,  and  Rev.  .David  W. 
Moore,  at  thai  time  a  resident  of*  McVeytown,  Pa. 

A.s  a  considerable  amounl  was  still  needed  to  pay 
the  indebtedness,  after  the  close  of  the  religious  ex- 
ercises an  efforl  was  made  to  procure  funds  sumcienl 
for  thai  purpose.  When  about  three  thousand  six 
hundred  dollars  had  been  subscribed,  it  was  concluded 
to  postpone  the  dedication  until  the  next- Sabbath, 
in  order  thai  the  building  might,  if  possible,  be  con- 
secrated  to  the  service  of  the  Most  High  free  from 
encumbrance. 

On  Sabbath,  December  17,  alter  a  sermon  by  the 
Rev.  J.  C.  Thompson,  and  addresses  by  the  Rev.  David 
\V.  .Moore  and  the  pastor,  the  amount  needed  to  pay 
all  arrearages  was  pledged.  The  dedicatory  prayer 
was  then  offered  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moore,  and  the 
congregation,  after  singing  the  137th  Psalm,  was 
dismissed,  rejoicing. 

The  building  thus  happily  completed  and  freed 
from  debl  stands  a  short  distance  south  of  the  site 
occupied  by  the  Manor  Meeting-House,  with  the 
fronl  towards  the  North  and  parallel  to  the  public 
road,  h  is  seventy-three  feel  by  fifty-four  feet,  with 
a    recess   for  the   pulpit,  and    contains  a  lecture-  and 

Sabbath-scl l-rooms  below,  and   an  audience-room, 

with  a  gallery  at  one  end,  above.    The  audience-room 
is   sixty-eighl    feet   by   Forty-nine  including  gallery, 

with  a  height    of  thirty-seven    feel   to  the  apex    in  the 


IX    "the    fobks  OF    BRANDYWINE."  51 

centre.  This  room  is  neatly  and  appropriately  fur- 
nished, and  the  pews,  which  afford  scats  foraboul  four 
hundred  and  fifty,  are  convenient  and  well  arranged. 

A  striking  feature,  and  one  which  adds  beauty  and 
interest  to  the  building,  is  the  memorial  windows. 
Of  these,  there  are  no  less  than  nine  commemorative 
of  the  Rev'ds  John  Carmichael,  Nathan  Grier,  and 
J.  N.  C.  Grier,  I). I).,  Elder  James  Ralston,  Elder 
dames  K.  Grier,  Joseph  Mackelduff,  Benjamin  and 
Agnes  McClure,  the  Manor  Sunday-School  and  the 
Sunday-School  at  Rockville. 

The  entire  structure  presents  an  imposing  appear- 
ance, and,  owing  to  the  elevated  situation,  is  visible  at 
a  distance  of  several  miles  in  almost  every  direction. 

The  cost  of  the  building  and  improvement  of  the 
enclosure  may  be  placed  at  twenty-one  thousand 
dollars.  Of  this,  about  one  thousand  dollars  was  con- 
tributed in  labor.  The  ladies  of  the  congregation 
raised  nearly  fourteen  hundred  dollars  by  festivals, 
a  fair,  and  a  supper.  The  memorial  windows  were 
presented  by  the  members  of  the  Sunday-Schools  and 
by  the  friends  or  relatives  of  the  godly  persons  whose 
names  they  are  intended  to  perpetuate. 

Although  great  credit  should  he  given  to  the 
members  of  the  Building  Committee  for  the  careful 
manner  in  which  they  performed  the  duty  assigned 
them,  and  also  to  those  who  so  liberally  contributed 
funds  for  the  erection  of  the  building,  yet  much  is 
due  to  the  popularity,  zeal,  and  perseverance  of  the 
pastor,  Mr.  McColl.  Like  his  predecessor,  Mr.  Car- 
michael, he  has  been  instrumental  in  obtaining  the 
construction  of  a  large  and  substantial   building  for 


52         BISTORT    OF   tin:    t'KKsnv  n;i;ia.\    eiirian 

public  worship,  which  will    remain   long  after  he  lias 
Keen  removed  t<»  a  "  house  oot  made  with  hands." 

Such  is  a  brief  bistory  of  the  Fourth  Meeting- 
House.  Whai  the  record  will  be  when  it  shall  have 
been  so  much  impaired  by  the  destroying  hand  of 
time  as  to  require  another  in  its  stead,  is  known  only 
to  llim  "who  sees  the  end  from  the  beginning."  But 
trusting  thai  He  will  watch  over  and  bless  the  Church 
established  in  this  place,  in  the  future  as  He  lias  done 
in  the  past,  may  it  not  be  hoped  that  those  who 
assemble  the  Last  time  within  this  consecrated  build- 
ing will  be  able  truthfully  to  say,  'Here  the  Gospel 
has  been  preached  with  faithfulness  and  power.  Here 
many  have  been  broughl  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour. 
From  these  hallowed  precincts  an  influence  has  been 
diffused  whose  beneficial  results  will  never  be  fully 
known  until  the  "Book  of  Remembrance"  shall  be 
opened,  and  all  the  descendants  of  Adam  shall  stand 
before  their  Final  .Judge." :i: 

SECEDEB    MEETING-HOUSE. 

Messrs.  Gellatlyf  and  Arnott,  the  first  missionaries 
senl  by  the  Seceder  Church  to  America,  arrived  in 
17<>:;.  Being  energetic,  faithful,  and  well  received, 
especially  by  those  of  the  early  settlers  who  had  been 
connected  with  that  denomination  in  the  fatherland, 
and  favored  by  the  schism  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
they,  Henderson,  Mason,  Annan,  Smart,  and   others. 

Minutes    of    Building   Committee;   llecords   of   Session;    Com. 
from  the  Pastor,  Mr.  McColl;  Local  Memoranda. 
G  llatly  died  in  April  (12th),  L7G1. 


IN    "THE    FORKS    OF    BRANDYWINE.  00 

gathered  congregations  and  erected  buildings  for 
public  worship.  One  of  these  was  placed  od  the 
southern  slope  of  the  Barren  Hill,  where  the  Wagon- 
town  Road  intersects  the  road  leading  to  Coatesville, 
and  ;i  few  hundred  yards  from  two  Presbyterian 
Meeting-Houses.  This  building,  erected  in  17<~><'>  or 
'57,  was  poorly  constructed,  and  had  become  so  much 
out  of  repair  in  1780  that  a  board  tent  was  placed 
in  front  of  it  and  used  in  its  stead.  Religious  ex- 
ercises were  conducted  in  the  tent  by  men  of  learning 
and  ability  until  about  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  when  the  older  members  being  dead  and 
others  having  connected  themselves  with  the  Manor 
Presbyterian  Church,  those  who  remained  were  too 
few  to  support  a  stated  ministry,  and  finally  ceased  to 
be  a  distinct  organization.  As  a  consequence  the 
buildings  were  neglected  and  soon  decayed.  Owing 
to  its  being  used  as  a  school-house,  and  receiving- 
some  repairs,  the  Session-house,  which  was  built  of  very 
small  logs,  remained  a  few  years  after  the  other  struc- 
tures were  in  ruins.  No  traces  either  of  it  or  of  the 
(  luirch  edifice  and  tent 'are  visible. 

The  graveyard,  which  occupies  about  one-eighth  of 
an  acre,  is  kept  in  repair  by  some  of  the  descendants 
of  those  who  obtained  the  site,  and  is  still  used  as  a 
burial-ground.  It  contains  a  number  of  graves,  many 
of  them  unmarked.  The  first  memorial  stone  placed 
in  it  bears  the  date  of  1708,  the  last  of  1880. 

John  Gilleland,  who  owned  the  adjoining  farm, 
probably  gave  the  land  occupied  by  the  buildings  and 
graveyard.  His  only  son,  who  was  murdered  by 
some  Hessian  marauders  shortly  after  the   battle  of 


.')  I  HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH, 

Brandywine,  was  laid  to  rest  in  this  enclosure,  but  no 
lettered  stone  preserves  the  name  of  the  victim  of 
hireling  barbarity.  A  grandsofl  of  Mr.  Gilleland, 
the  Rev.  James  Buchanan,  was  long  a  faithful  min- 
ister of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Nathaniel  Erwin, 
:l  soldier  of  the  Continental  army  and  a  son  of  one 
of  the  first  settlers,  and  several  of  his  descendants, 
are  buried   in  this  graveyard. 

While  the  futility  of  attempting  to  support  three 
churches,  differing  in  non-essentials  only,  within  a 
short  distance  of  one  another,  is  shown  by  their 
becoming  merged  in  one,  it  nevertheless  makes  mani- 
fest the  determination  of  our  fathers  to  sustain  a 
preached  Gospel,  and  their  adherence  to  the  doc- 
nines  and  modes  of  worship  which  they  had  learned 
and  practised  before  their  settlement  in  the  wilds  of 
America.* 


McKcrrow,  "Hist,  of  Secession  Church;"  Buck,  "Theological 
Dictionary  ;"  "  Reminiscences  of  James  Dorian  ;"  Local  Memoranda. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

OP    THE 

DECEASED  PASTORS  OF  BRANDYWINE  MANOR 
PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


"And  I  will  give  you  pastors  according  to  mine  heart,  which  shall 
feed  you  with  knowledge  and  understanding." — Jer.  iii.  15. 


REV.   SAMUEL   BLACK. 

Born  1700.  Died  1770. 

As  has  been  already  stated,  the  pulpits  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  during  the  first  half-century  of 
its  existence  in  America,  were  mainly  supplied  by 
natives  of  Scotland  and  the  North  of  Ireland.  Some 
of  them  came  in  answer  to  the  Macedonian  cry, 
"come  over  and  help  us,"  others  actuated  by  the 
spirit  which  guided  Martyn,  Heber,  Birney,  and  their 
fellow-laborers  to  the  inhospitable  regions  of  Asia  and 
Africa.  They  were  mostly  young  men,  who  left  home 
and  its  comforts  to  share  the  privations  and  promote 
the  spiritual  interests  of  their  countrymen  whom 
penury  or  oppression  had  driven  to  the  Western 
Wilderness. 

Among;  those  who  were  led  to  devote  themselves  to 
ministerial    labor   on   this   side  of  the  Atlantic  was 

5  57 


BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 

Samuel    Black,  who  was  bom  in  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland,  and  educated  at  Edinburgh. 

Mr.  Black  came  to  America  iii  1734  or '35,  with 
credentials,  it  is  said,  from  the  Synod  of  Glasgow, 
and  was  received,  as  a  probationer,  by  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Castle. 

The  Presbytery  of  Donegal,  which  was  formed 
October  11,  1732,  consisted  at  first  of  but  four  raera- 
bers.*  This  necessarily  left  a  number  of  churches 
within  its  hounds  without  any  stated  ministry.  In 
order  to  afford  these  destitute  congregations  an  oppor- 
tunity of  hearing  the  preached  word,  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Castle,  in  1735-36,  sent  several  of  its  proba- 
tioners and  others  to  supply  the  vacant  pulpits.  The 
Presbytery  of  Donegal  resented  this,  and  required 
all  who  occupied  pulpits  within  its  jurisdiction  to  be 
members  of  that  body  or,  if  probationers,  that  they 
should  be  examined  and  licensed  by  the  Presbytery. 
Accordingly,  when  the  congregation  in  this  place 
applied  for  Mr.  Black  to  preach  for  them  as  a  can- 
didate for  "  settlement,"  he  obtained  his  dismissal  from 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  and  placed  himself 
under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal. 

He  was  taken  on  "  trials"  May  23,  173(>,  preached 
before  Presbytery  on  Romans  viii.  31,  lectured  on 
the  CXIX.  Psalm,  and  read  an  Exegesis  in  Latin  on 
De  supremo  judice  contraversiam  religionis. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Presbytery,  October 
27,  1736,  after  further  examination  and  the  delivery 
. — * 

*  They  were  Anderson,  of  Donegal;  Bertram,  of  Derry;  Orr,  of 
Lower  Octoraro  (Nottingham  j  ;  and  Boyd,  of  Upper  Octoraro. 


IN  "the  porks  of  brandywine."  59 

of  discourses  on  Romans  v.  1,  and  also  on  Romans 
viii.  8,  lie  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

Mr.  Black  having  accepted  a  second  call  from  the 
Congregation  in  this  place  to  become  their  pastor,  the 
Presbytery, at  the  same  meeting,  appointed  the  second 
Wednesday  in  the  November  following  for  his  ordina- 
tion and  installation. 

According  to  this  appointment,  he  was  ordained 
and  installed  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  Forks  of  Brandywine  on  the  10th  of  November, 
1730.  James  Anderson,  of  Donegal,  presided  and 
preached  from  1  Thess.  v.  12  and  13.  The  only  other 
ministers  present  were  Alexander  Craighead,  of 
Middle  Octoraro,  and  Ghelston,  late  the  pastor  of  New 
London,  who  had  recently  joined  the  Presbytery  of 
Donegal,  and  was  then  supplying  Pequea  and  other 
places. 

Mr.  Black  had  been  settled  but  a  short  time  in  the 
pastorate  when  the  controversy  which  agitated  and 
finally  divided  the  Presbyterian  Church  caused  dis- 
sensions among  his  people.  Firmly  attached  to  the 
doctrines  and  practices  of  the  Old  Side,  he,  perhaps, 
was  not  as  reserved  in  expressing  his  opinions  of  the 
"Revivalists"  as  prudence  dictated,  nor  as  guarded  in 
conduct  as  his  position  and  the  watchfulness  of  those 
who  differed  from  him  in  their  religious  views  de- 
manded. These  mistakes,  however,  would  scarcely 
have  led  a  majority  of  the  members  of  his  church  to 
bring  forward  and  earnestly  press  rancorous  charges 
against  him  if  the  flames  of  discord  had  not  been 
fanned  by  some  of  his  ministerial  brethren. 

Foremost  among  these  was  David  Anderson,  who, 


60         BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

in  October,  L739,  had  been  installed  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Pequea.  Being  a  zealous  partisan  of*  the 
New  Side,  and  believing  it  to  be  his  duty,  as  he  said, 
to  carry  the  Gospel  to  a  people  burdened  with  a  life- 
less  ministry,  he  intruded  without  hesitation  within 
the  bounds  of  Black's  charge,  and  caused  the  es- 
t  ran  genu  ml  of  many  of  his  flock  from  their  pastor. 
Black  appealed  to  the  Presbytery  for  redress,  but  An- 
derson refused  to  obey  a  citation  to  appear  before  that 
body. 

In  consequence  of  these  alienations  and  dissensions, 
twelve  charges  against  Mr.  Black  were  presented  to 
the  Presbytery  at  its  meeting  in  September,  1740. 
The  principal  of  these  charges  were  drunkenness, 
sowing  dissensions  among  his  people,  and  a  neglect  of 
ministerial  work.  In  the  beginning  of  the  Novem- 
ber next  following  the  Presbytery  heard  the  charges, 
and  rebuked,  but  did  not  suspend  him. 

As  the  manifest  intention  of  the  accusers  of  Mr. 
Black  was  to  have  his  pulpit  declared  vacant,  and  the 
decision  of  the  Presbytery  did  not  accomplish  that  ob- 
ject, the  charges,  accompanied  by  the  assertion  thai 
much  important  testimony  had  been  kept  back,  were 
renewed  at  the  meeting  of  Presbytery,  in  May,  17  11. 
The  Presbytery  postponed  the  hearing  until  inquiries 
could  be  made  on  the  spot,  but,  in  deference  to  the 
importunities  of  his  accusers,  suspended  him  until  the 
examination  hud  taken  place. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Synod,  then  the  highest  ju- 
dicial tribunal  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  met  in 
Philadelphia,  the  celebrated  Protest,  signed  by  Robert 
Cross  and   others,   was   lead,  June  1,  1741,  the  New 


IN 


TIN-:     ['OllKS    OP    BRANDY  WINE."  61 


Brunswick  brethren  withdrew  and  formed  a  Beparate 

Synod,  and  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  "  rent  in 
twain." 

In  the  following  month  the  Presbytery  met  in  this 
place,  heard  the  testimony  in  support  of  the  charges, 
and  after  a  careful  investigation,  considered  them 
unsustained,  and  restored  Mr.  Black.  As  a  majority, 
however,  of  the  congregation  had  attached  themselves 
to  the  New  Side,  and  those  who  remained  were  too 
few  to  support  a  stated  ministry,  the  Presbytery  dis- 
solved the  pastoral  rein t  ion. 

In  October,  1738,  the  people  of  Conewago  asked 
and  obtained . leave  to  be  erected  into  a  congregation. 
They  also  received  permission  to  build  a  meeting- 
house in  what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  Dauphin 
County. *  August  1,  1741,  they  presented  a  call  to 
Mr.  Black  to  become  their  pastor.  This  he  accepted 
at  the  meeting  of  Presbytery  in  the  October  following 
(27th),  and  was  installed  on  the  second  Wednesday 
of  May,  1742. 

In  1743  he  spent  part  of  his  time  laboring  in 
Central  Virginia,  then  the  missionary  field  of  both 
branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  For  reasons 
which  have  not  been  stated,  he  applied  for  a  dissolu- 
tion of  the  pastoral  relation  in  dune,  1744,  which  the 
Presbytery  refused. 

March  26, 1745,  he  received  a  call  from  the  congre- 


*  The  congregation  of  Conewago  remained  but  a  comparatively 
short  time  as  a  distinct  organization.  The  meeting-house,  which  stood 
near  to  where  the  turnpike  road  leading  from  Downingtown  to  Har- 
risburg  crosses  Conewago  Creek,  has  long  since  disappeared.  Traces 
of  the  graveyard  belonging  to  it  were  visible  in  1852. 


62  BISTOB"?    OF    Till'-     I'KESBYTEKIA.X    CHURCH 

gations  of  North  and  of  South  Mountain,  Virginia, 
and  again  asked  to  be  released  from  his  charge  at  Con- 
ewago, assigning  as  reasons  for  removal  the  weakness 
and  fewness  of  the  people.  The  next  April  Pres- 
bytery granted  his  request  and  assigned  him  to  North 
and  South  .Mountain.  But  his  people  at  Conewago, 
desirous  of  retaining  him,  made  proposals  which  were 
satisfactory,  and  he  remained  with  them.  The  Pres- 
bytery, at  its  meeting  in  September,  ordered  him  to 
be  reprimanded  for  not  obeying  his  instructions,  but 
complied  with  the  request  of  the  Congregation  of 
Conewago  and  reinstated  him  as  their  pastor. 

Owing  to  the  loss  of  a  part  of  the  Minutes  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Donegal,  it  cannot  be  ascertained  when 
Mr.  Black  left  Conewago.  He  seems,  however,  while 
occasionally  supplying  vacancies  in  Virginia,  to  have 
remained  until  the  death  of  Hindman,  whom  he  suc- 
ceeded in  the  pastorate  of  Rockfish  and  Mountain 
Plain,  Virginia.  This  was  probably  in  the  latter 
part  of  1746,  or  early  in  1747.  During  his  connec- 
tion with  Rockfish  and  Mountain  Plain,  he  supplied 
several  of  the  vacant  congregations  in  North  Caro- 
lina. 

In  1756  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover,  New  Side, 
appointed  supplies  for  Rockfish,  and  directed  them 
"not  to  interfere  with  Mr.  Black  and  his  Labors." 
These  orders  availed  but  little,  for  at  a  meeting,  in 
July,  1759,  of  the  lately  reconstructed  Presbytery  of 
Hanover,  with  which  be  was  then  connected,  "Some 
charges  were  brought  against  him  by  portions  of 
his  congregations  as  reasons  why  the  Presbytery 
should  send  them  another  pastor."    The  Presbytery 


in  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  <',:; 

proceeded  with  great  tenderness  and  caution,  and  the 
difficulties  were  in  part  adjusted,  when  lie  resigned. 
After  this,  although  occasionally  occupying  the  pul- 
pit, he  appears  to  have  remained  without  any  stated 
charge  until  his  death,  which  occurred  August  9, 
1770. 

In  justice  to  Mr.  Black,  it  should  he  home  in  mind 
that  although  his  conduct  on  some  occasions  was 
blameworthy,  yet  his  ministry  was  embraced  in  a 
period  of  extreme  agitation,  when  the  bitterness  of 
controversy  divided  not  only  every  congregation  of 
which  he  was  the  pastor,  but  also  every  congregation 
connected  with  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal,  and  even 
the  whole  Presbyterian  Church.  A  period  when  ac- 
cusations were  preferred  and  placed  on  record  which 
in  "  peaceful  times"  would  never  have  been  made. 

Dr.  Foote,  in  his  "  Notices  of  Virginia,"  states  that 
Mr.  Black  "  was  Orthodox  in  doctrine,  and  correct  in 
his  views  of  religious  action  and  Christian  principles, 
as  was  proved  by  the  fact  that  a  goodly  number  of 
pious  people  were  found  at  Bockfish,  and  his  succes- 
sors in  the  pastorate  there  saw  evidence  that  God  had 
blessed  the  ministry  of  His  word  by  him." 

In  1740  he  was  directed  to  supply  the  church  at 
Norriton  once  a  quarter  until  the  next  meeting  of 
Synod  ;*    and    in    1744    was    appointed   one   of    the 


*  Norriton,  the  oldest  Presbyterian  Church  edifice  in  Montgomery 
County,  and  now  in  ruins,  was  built  about  1720.  Like  many  of  the 
Churches  of  that  denomination,  it  was  injured  during  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  money  was  raised  to  repair  it  by  a  lottery.  It  was  probably 
placed  on  land  which  had  been  previously  set  aside  and  used  as  a 


ill  HISTORY    OF    Till'.    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCB 

Trustees  of  the  Bchool  established  by  the  Synod  at 
New  London,  ( Ihester  < lounty.*    He  was  reappointed 

in  1745  and  1746,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  placed 
on  the  committee  chosen  to  answer  the  letter  of 
President  Clapp,  of  Yale  College,  respecting  the 
admission  of  -tudents  to  thai  institution.  The  next 
year  lie,  Thompson,  and  Craige  were  directed  by 
the  Synod  "to  have  the  oversight  of  the  vacancies  in 
Virginia." 

The  remains  of  Mr.  Black  were  interred  on  a  farm 
which  he  purchased  after  his  permanent  settlement 
in  Virginia,  where  his  grave,  with  no  other  me- 
morial than  an  unlettered  stone,  may  still  be  seen. 
The  farm,  now  in  the  possession  of  his  only  surviving 
grandson,  Thomas  Black,  lies  in  Albemarle  County, 
Va.,  a  few  miles  from  the  eastern  base  of  the  Blue 
Ridge. 

He  left  a  family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Some  of  them  settled  in  Kentucky  and  other  Western 
States.  The  youngest,  Samuel,  remained  at  the  home- 
stead. Many  of  his  descendants  still  reside  in  that 
part  of  Virginia,  and  it  is  due  to  tliem  to  state  that 
a  majority  of  them  adhere  to  the  church  of  which 
their  great-grandfather  was  a  Pioneer  Minister  in 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  North  Carolina.-)* 


graveyard.  The  Centennial  Presbyterian  Church,  dedicated  in  1876, 
was  erected  on  ground  belonging  to  the  Norriton  Church. 

*  See  Appendix  C. 

f  Minutes  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  ;  of  the  Old  Presbytery  of 
Donegal;  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover;  Com.  from  Rev.  Hugh 
Henry;  Foote,  "Sketches  of  Virginia,  Second  Series." 


IN  "THE  FORKS  of  beandywene."  65 


REV.   ADAM   BOYD. 

Born  1692.  Died  l7'is- 

During  the  closing  years  of  the  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury and  the  first  quarter  of  the  Eighteenth,  a  num- 
ber of  emigrants  from  Scotland  and  the  North  of 
Ireland  landed  in  New  England.  Owing,  however, 
to  the  country  being,  to  a  considerable  extent,  pre- 
occupied by  other  denominations,  and  to  some  legal 
restrictions  on  religious  freedom,  the  Irish  and  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians  found  a  settlement  there  less  con- 
genial than  they  had  anticipated.  Many  of  their 
clergymen,  as  a  consequence,  became  dissatisfied,  and 
either  returned  to  their  native  land,  or  chose  the  la- 
borious duties  of  a  pioneer  minister,  in  comparatively 
unsettled  colonies,  where  greater  opportunities  for  the 
establishment  of  churches  were  afforded. 

Among  the  latter  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Craighead, 
who  came  to  New  England  in  1715,  but,  near  the 
close  of  1723,  removed  to  Southeastern  Pennsylvania, 
now  the  State  of  Delaware. 

About  seven  years  after  Mr.  Craighead's  arrival  in 
New  England,  Adam  Boyd  came  as  a  probationer 
from  the  North  of  Ireland.  Where  Mr.  Boyd  was 
educated  is  not  known,  but  as  a  majority  of  the  Pres- 
byterian clergymen,  who  first  emigrated  to  America 
from  Ireland  and  Scotland,  were  graduates  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Glasgow,  he  may  have  been  an  Alumnus 
of  that  venerable  institution. 

He  supplied,  for  some  time,  the  pulpit  Kit  vacanl 


66         BISTORT?    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    rlll'UCH 

;it  Dedham,  Mass.,  by  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Belcher,  and  also  officiated  ho  other  churches  near 
Boston  ;  but,  having  been  disappointed  in  his  ex- 
pectation of  a  settlement,  he  concluded  to  return  to 
his  native  country.  An  attachment,  however,  to  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Craighead  caused  him  to  relinquish 
his  design  and  seek  a  pastorate  near  to  that  gentleman 
in  Pennsylvania. 

In  pursuance  of  this  determination  Mr.  Boyd  came 
to  this  State,  and  having  presented  credentials  from 
Ireland,  and  commendatory  letters*  from  Cotton  Ma- 
ther and  other  clergymen  of  New  England  to  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  he  was  received  as  a  licen- 
tiate by  that  body,  July  29,  1724.  At  the  same 
time  lie  was  sent  as  a  supply  to  Octoraro,  and  di- 
rected to  collect  a  congregation  at  Pequea.  His  la- 
bors at  both  places  were  so  well  received  that  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Presbytery  in  the  September  imme- 
diately following,  Arthur  Parke  and  Cornelius  Ro- 
wan, Commissioners  from  Octoraro  and  Pequea,  pre- 
sented a  call  for  him  to  become  their  pastor.  This  he 
accepted  on  the  6th  of  October,  1724,  and  as  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  congregations  urged  his  immediate 
installation,  the  Presbytery  appointed  Wednesday  of 
the  next  week  for  that  purpose. 

In  accordance  with  this  arrangement  the  Presby- 
tery met  at  Octoraro  the  13th  of  October,  1721,  and 
ordained  and  installed  Mr.  Boyd  as  pastor  of  the 
congregations  of  Octoraro  and  Pequea. 

( !raighead  presided,  and  1  look,  of  Drawers,  preached 

*  See  Appendix  D. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandy  wive."  G7 

the  ordination  sermon.  The  other  members  of  the 
Presbytery,  present,  were  Gillespie,  Thomas  Evans, 
and  Hu  teh  in  son. 

The  country  being,  at  that  time,  sparsely  settled, 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Boyd  extended  over  a  large  area. 
A  score  of  Presbyterian  Churches,  and  upwards  of 
eighty  belonging  to  other  denominations  are  now  or- 
ganized in  what  were  the  bounds  of  his  charge.  He 
was  truly  a  pioneer  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  in  fact, 
the  only  stated  pastor  in  all  the  territory  now  in- 
cluded in  the  Western  part  of  Chester  County,  and 
what  was  then  settled  of  the  present  county  of  Lan- 
caster.* 

In  the  large  field  thus  intrusted  to  his  care,  his 
industry,  zeal,  and  faithfulness  produced  abundant 
fruit.  Donegal  became  able  to  sustain  a  pastor  in 
1727.  Middle  Octoraro  was  organized  in  the  same 
year,  and  Fagg's  Manor  in  1730.  Bertram  was  set- 
tled at  Paxson  and  Derry,  and  Thompson  at  ( !hestnut 
Level,  in  1732.  Craighead  was  installed  at  Pequea  in 
1733,  and  the  Forks  of  Brandy  wine  obtained  the  ser- 
vices of  Black  in  1736. 

But  while  the  bounds  of  his  charge  were  diminished 
by  the  organization  of  churches,  and  the  settlement 
of  pastors  over  congregations  which  he  had  been 
largely  instrumental  in  gathering,  his  labors  were 
interrupted  by  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  which  took  place  in  1741. 

This  Schism,  which  was  caused  chiefly  by  a  differ- 

*  At  that  time  there  were  no  settlements  "over  the  river,''  thai  is, 
West  of  the  Susquehanna. 


68       BisTOire  of  tin:  Presbyterian  church 

ence  of  views  in  regard  to  revivals  and  the  qualifica- 
tion of  candidates  for  the  ministry,  though  ultimately 
overruled  by  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  for  good, 
retarded  the  progress  of  Presbyterian  ism  in  America. 
"Congregations  were  divided.  Two  churches  were 
established  in  many  places  where  there  was  not  sup- 
port for  one.  Clergymen  personally  esteeming  one 
another  were  debarred  from  an  exchange  of  pulpits,"" 
while  energy  and  ability  which  should  have  been  em- 
ployed in  the  furtherance  of  the  Gospel  were  wasted 
in  needless  debate  and  acrimonious  controversy. 

But,  in  time,  both  parties  saw  their  mistake.  The 
New  Bide,  or  those  wdio  had  considered  a  liberal  edu- 
cation of  minor  importance  as  a  qualification  for  the 
mini-try,  acknowledged  their  error  by  founding  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of 
preparing  young  men  to  become  heralds  of  the  Gospel. 
( )n  the  oilier  hand,  their  opponents,  the  Old  Side, 
were  convinced  by  the  increasing  number  and  ability 
of  those  who  were  leaders  of  the  "great  awakening" 
in  the  churches  that  learning,  unaccompanied  by 
earnest,  vital  piety,  is  insufficient  for  the  extension  of 
the  Redeemer's  Kingdom.  As  a  consequence,  after 
seventeen  years  of  separation,  the  breach  was  healed. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Boyd  ministered  to  the 
members  of  his  flock  who  had  not  wandered  from  the 
fold,  and  on  the  11th  of  August,  1741,  accepted  an 
invitation  to  preach  one-half  of  his  time  to  those  in 
this  place  who  had  been  left  without  a  pastor  by  the 
withdrawal  of  Mr.  Black. 


*  Dr.  Miller's  Life  of  Rodgers. 


IN    "THE    FOEKS    OF    BRANDYWINE."  69 

As  a  majority  of  the  congregation  had  seceded,  the 
number  that  remained  was  nut  Large;  bu1  after  the 
death  of  Mr.  Dean,  and  the  failure  of  the  New  Side 
to  obtain  a,  settled  pastor,  the  attendance  on  Mr. 
Boyd's  ministrations  increased.  Indeed,  it  could 
hardly  have  been  otherwise,  since  many  of  them  had 
been  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour  by  his 
preaching  before  the  organization  of  a  church  in  this 
part  of  his  charge.  During  his  connection  with  the 
congregation  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
many  of  them  heads  of  families,  contributed  toward 
the  payment  of  his  salary,  and  they  may  not  have 
been  a  majority  of  his  hearers.:i: 

In  October,  1758,  the  pastoral  relation  was,  as  he 
has  recorded,  "  dissolved  in  a  most  irregular  manner." 
Why  is  not  known.  Perhaps  some  members  of  the 
church  were  displeased  with  his  assent  to  the  terms 
of  the  Union,  and  requested  that  another  should  be 
sent  in  his  stead,  or  the  Presbytery  may  have  acted 
without  being  fully  acquainted  with  the  wishes  of  the 
larger  portion  of  the  congregation.  But  whatever 
may  have  been  the  cause  of  his  irregular  and  abrupt 
dismissal,  all  will  admit  that  it  was  undeserved.  He 
surely  was  worthy  of  kind  and  respectful  treatment 
who,  during  seventeen  years,  had  travelled  ten  miles 
every  other  Sabbath  and  conducted  religious  services 
for  the  annual  stipend  of  a  little  more  than  fifty 
dollars. 

After  the  close  of  his  pastorate  at  "the  Forks," 
the  members  of  the  Old  Side  congregation  at  Octo- 


*  See  Appendix  E. 


70         III-Tokv    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHTTRCB 

raro  agreed  to  pay  for  two-thirds  of  his  time,  instead 
of  one-half  as  they  had  previously  done.  This  ar- 
rangemenl  continued  until  April,  1768,  when  Mr. 
Boyd,  "by  reason  of  his  feeble  health,  requested  the 
Presbytery  to  send  supplies  for  his  pulpit  as  often  as 
possible." 

A  few  months  afterward,  the  congregation  united 
with  the  New  Side  in  a  call  to  the  Rev.  William 
Forster  to  take  charge  of  both  congregations.  This 
call,  which  Mr.  Boyd  heartily  approved,  Mr.  Forster 
accepted,  and  on  the  19th  of  October,  1768,  was  in- 
stalled pastor  of  the  "United  Congregation  of  Upper 
Octoraro."  On  account  of  his  long  connection  with 
the  congregation  and  his  faithful  services,  the  pastoral 
relation  of  Mr.  Boyd  was  not  dissolved,  and  his  people 
agreed  to  pay  him  twenty-five  pounds  yearly  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  But  the  "time  of  his 
departure  was  at  hand."  He  died  on  the  19th  of 
November,  1768,  in  the  forty-sixth  year  of  his  min- 
istry. 

His  remains  were  interred  in  the  adjoining  grave- 
yard, and  the  record  on  his  tombstone  states  that  he 
was  "  eminent  through  life  for  modest  piety,  diligence 
in  his  office,  prudence,  equanimity,  and  peace." 

II''  lift  a  widow,  live  sons,  and  five  daughters. 
I  lis  widow  survived  him  nearly  eleven  years,  or  until 
November  \),  1770.  His  eldest  son,  John,  studied  for 
the  ministry,  hut  died  shortly  after  his  licensure. 

Thomas  was  settled  by  his  father  on  an  adjoining 
farm.  He  died  in  1778.  The  property  is  still  in  the 
possession  of  his  descendants. 

Andrew  inherited  the  homestead.     He  was  an   ar- 


IN  "the   porks  of   iu:  wdywixk."  71 

(lent  patriot  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  attained 
the  rank  of  colonel,  and  acted  as  commissary  for  Ches- 
ter County  nearly  the  whole  of  thai  trying  period. 
Adam  became  a   resident  of  North   Carolina,  was 

editor  of  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury  in  1 7 <  > 7 ,  ; i  leading 
member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  that  State,  and, 
in  1776,  chaplain  of  a  North  Carolina  Brigade. 

Samuel  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  at  McDow- 
ell's School,  Maryland;  entered  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  17G4,  and 
settled  as  a  physician  in  Virginia. 

Three  of  the  daughters  were  married  to  clergymen  : 
Janet  to  the  Rev.  Robert  McMordie,  then  pastor  of 
Marsh  Creek  and  Round  Hill,  in  Lancaster,  now  York, 
County;  Agnes  to  the  Rev.  Sampson  Smith,  pastor  at 
Chestnut  Level;  and  Margaret  to  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Tate,  at  that  time  pastor  of  Donegal. 

The  Rev.  Matthew  Tate,  son  of  the  last  mentioned, 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  and 
employed  as  a  supply  by  that  and  other  Presbyteries 
He  subsequently  entered  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
some  years  previous  to  his  death,  in  October,  17!>~>,  was 
rector  of  a  parish  in  South  Carolina. 

The  Rev.  Andrew  B.  Cross,  an  able  and  popular 
clergyman  of  Baltimore,  Mrs.  Webster,  widow  of  the 
lamented  historian  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
many  of  the  most  influential  and  respectable  citizens 
of  Sadsbury,  and  the  adjoining  Townships  of  Chester 
County,  are  descendants  of  Adam  Boyd. 

In  the  management  of  his  worldly  affairs,  Mr.  Boyd 
was  economical,  exact,  and  careful.  Although  his 
salary  never  exceeded  three  hundred  dollars  a  year, 


72         BISTOR"?    OF    THE    PEESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 

and  was  frequently  less,  and  a  part  of  thai  was  paid  in 
produce  and  some  in  labor,  yet  lie  acquired  considera- 
ble property.  His  daughters  received  marriage  por- 
tions, which  were  regarded  as  large  "in  those  days." 
Threeof  his  sons  were  educated  for  the  learned  profes- 
sions, and  his  other  sons  were  comfortably  settled  on 
l;i rin-  which  their  father  had  purchased. 

Like  pioneer  ministers  in  general,  Mr.  Boyd  was  too 
much  occupied  with  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral  du- 
ties to  prepare  any  of  his  discourses  for  the  press. 
Some  of  his  sermons  have  been  preserved,  but  they 
are  written  in  a  kind  of  short-hand,  which  is  difficult 
to  decipher.  A\Te  are,  therefore,  without  the  means  of 
knowing  either  the  arrangement,  style,  or  tenor  of  his 
pulpit  exercises;  Imt  his  discretion,  piety,  and  faith- 
fulness lead  to  the  conclusion  that  his  remarks  in  the 
pulpit  were  well  calculated  to  confirm  the  faith,  arouse 
the  conscience,  and  enliven  the  hopes  of  those  whom  he 
addressed.  Following  the  example  of  the  Apostle  to 
the  Gentiles,  he,  no  doubt,  "reasoned  of  temperance, 
righteousness,  and  judgment  to  come."  But  his  hear- 
ers,  unlike  the  profligate  viceroy  of  the  Roman  Em- 
peror, were  not  ignorant  of  that  blessed  Gospel  for 
whose  Mike  many  of  them  had  abandoned  the  land  of 
their  birth  and  made  the  wilderness  their  home.* 

*  Futhey,  "  Hist,  of  Upper  Octoraro  Church;"  Webster,  "Hist, 
of  Presb.  Church;"  Minutes  of  Donegal  Presbytery;  Com.  from 
Rev.  Andrew  15.  I  !ross. 


IN    "THE    FORKS    OF    r.UAXDVWIXK."  To 


REV.  WILLI  AIM    DEAN. 

Born  L719.  Died  1748. 

The  exciting  controversies,  self-denying  labor,  and 
severe  trials  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Scotland 

and  Ireland  during  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
turies were  succeeded  towards  the  close  of  the  latter  by 
listlessness  and  a  lack  of  earnestness.  Warm  appeals 
to  the  impenitent,  and  the  zeal  for  the  extension  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom,  which  charaeterized  the  earlier 
history  of  the  church,  gave  place  to  doctrinal  explana- 
tions and  long  sermons  delivered  in  a  eold  and  didactic 
manner.  Learning  and  orthodoxy  were  more  regarded 
in  the  selection  of  pastors  than  vital  piety.  As  a  con- 
sequence a  laxity  of  morals  prevailed.  Intemperance 
became  common,  and  profanity  was  often  heard  from 
those  who  were  the  professed  followers  of  the  Divine 
author  of  the  command.   "Swear  not  at  all." 

This  indifference  to  spiritual  interests  continued  until 
the  close  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tmv,  when  both  pastors  and  people  were  aroused  from 
their  lethargy  by  the  faithful  labors  of  the  Wesleys 
and  Whitefield  in  the  British  Islands,  and  ofWhitefield 
and  the  Tennents  in  America.  The  Log  College,  es- 
tablished by  the  last  mentioned,  sent  forth  a  number  of 
young  men,  whose  warmth,  earnestness,  and  energy 
were  in  strong  contrast  with  learned  but  frigid  dis- 
courses which  failed  to  arouse  the  conscience  or  amend 
the  heart.  Their  hearers  retired  not  to  discuss  the  bear- 
ing and  correctness  of  creeds  or  the  errors  of  Roman- 

o 

6 


7  1  BISTORT?    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

ism,  but  anxiously  inquiring,  "What  must  we  do  to  be 
saved  ?" 

A 1 1 1 . » ] i -  those  who  were  deeply  imbued  with  the 
spirit  and  zeal  of  Whitefield  and  the  graduates  of  the 
Log  College  was  William  Dean,  who  came  from  the 
North  ol*  [reland  to  America  in  1739  or  '40.  Where 
he  was  educated  is  not  known.  He  probably  received 
his  academical  training  in  his  native  country,  and  his 
theological  under  the  direction  of  the  Tennents. 

lie  was  taken  on  trials  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 

Brunswick,  August  :i,  1741,  and  assigned  the  following 

suhjects  "to  found  discourses  upon."     For  an  English 

sermon,  Rom.  iii.  19;  and  for  an  Exegesis,  .1//   homo 

justificatur  ah  eterno  an  tempore? 

At  a  meeting  0f  the  Presbytery,  held  at  Freehold, 
N.  J.,  in  October,  1742,  lie  and  Charles  Beatty  hav- 
ing passed  satisfactory  trials  and  examinations,  were 
licensed  (October  13)  "  to  preach  the  everlasting  Go-  pel 
where   Providence  may  direct  them." 

Mr.  Dean  was  sent  by  the  Presbytery,  immediately 
after  his  licensure,  to  Neshaminy,  Bucks  County,  and 
the  settlements  on  the  Forks  of  Delaware.  These 
were  made,  in  1730  or  'o2,  by  Presbyterians  from  the 
North  of  Ireland.  The  one  on  the  West  Fork,  the 
Lehigh,  being  called  Craig's  settlement,  and  the  one  on 
the  North   Fork,  the  Delaware.  Hunter's  settlement. 

The  country  was  mostly  a  wilderness,  inhabited  by 
the  Lenni  Lenape,  or  Delaware  Indians.  Efforts  were 
made  by  the  devoted  Brainerd  and  others  to  bring 
them  to  a  knowledge  of  the  saving  truths  of  the  Gos- 
pel, though  with  little  apparent  success.  They  were 
strongly  attached  to  their  favorite  places  of  abode  and 


IN   "THE    FORKS   OF    r.i; A.xdvwim:."  75 

hunting-grounds,  and  did  not  abandon  them  until  they 
were  forced  to  remove  by  the  "  Five  Nations." 

In  1743,  Dean  was  appointed  to  supply  Craig's  and 
Hunter's  settlements  and  (ape  .May,  and  in  the  Fall  of 
the  same  year  he  was  sent  by  the  New  Bide  Presbytery 
of  New  Castle,  with  which  he  was  then  connected,  to 
Pequea  and  the  "  Forks  of  Brandy  wine." 

In  1744  he  was  directed  to  preach  at  Cohansey,  now 
Fairfield,  N.  J.,  and  the  Forks  of  Delaware,  and  in 
the  following  year  he  went,  with  Byram,  of  Mendham, 
N.  J.,  to  Augusta  County,  Va.,  where  their  labors 
were  followed  by  a  great  revival. 

In  1745  he  received  and  accepted  a  second  call  from 
the  New  Side  Congregation  in  this  place  to  become 
their  pastor,  and  was  installed  in  May  or  June  of  that 
year.  But  his  labor  in  a  field  which  seemed  likely  to 
produce  an  abundant  harvest  was  soon  ended.  In  a 
little  more  than  three  years  his  flock  was  left  without 
a  shepherd,  and  the  New  Side  Presbytery  of  New 
Castle  had  sustained  the  loss  of  one  of  its  youngest 
and  most  promising  members. 

The  invitations  which  Mr.  Dean  received  to  remain 
in  the  settlements  to  which  he  was  sent  as  an  occasional 
or  a  stated  supply  ;  the  revival  which  followed  his  mis- 
sionary efforts  in  Virginia,  and  the  regret  expressed 
on  account  of  his  early  death  by  some  of  the  ablest  of 
his  contemporaries,  confirm  the  uniform  tradition  that 
he  was  a  popular,  zealous,  and  faithful  minister  of  the 
Gospel. 

In  1743  three  calls  for  his  services  were  presented 
to  Presbytery, — one  from  the  Forks  of  Delaware,  an- 
other from  the  Forks  of  Brandy  wine,  and  a  third  from 


76         BISTORT    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Cape  May.  These  he  held  under  consideration  for  a 
time  and  declined.  In  May,  17  IS,  a  few  weeks  before 
bis  death,  a  similar  request*  was  sent  to  the  Synod  of 
New  Brunswick  from  Timber  Bridge  and  the  Forks  of 
James  River,  Virginia. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  afterwards  President  of 
the  College  of  New  Jersey,  writing  from  Virginia  to 
J)r.  Bellamy,  of  Bethlehem,  Connecticut,  in  1751, 
speaks  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Dean  in  the  same  affec- 
tionate terms  in  which  lie  records  the  loss  of  those 
'•eminent  men  of  God,"  William  Robinson  and  Sam- 
uel Blair.  He  also  states  that  the  blessed  effects  of  the 
revival  which  had  followed  the  labors  of  Byram  and 
Dean  were  still  manifest. 

During  his  connection  with  the  congregation  in  this 
place,  Mr.  Dean  resided  in  a  house  which  stood  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Francis  Growe,  in 
West  Nant  meal  Township.  That  house,  which,  like 
all  in  the  neighborhood,  was  built  of  unhewn  logs,  the 
members  of  his  chinch  caused  to  be  wainscoted  and 
weather-boarded,  thus  making  it  superior,  both  in 
comfort  and  appearance,  to  the  rude  and  unplastered 
structures  which  constituted  their  own  places  of  abode. 

The  remains  of  Dean  were  interred  in  the  "lower 
graveyard,"  where  his  tomb,  which  bears  the  following 
inscription,  may  be  seen  : 

"  Here  lit-t  1)  the  Body  of 

The  Reverend  William  Dean 

Who  departed  (hi.-  Life 

July  9th  1748. 
Aged  29  Years. 


*  See  Appendix    F. 


in  "the  forks  or  brandywine."  77 

In  yonder  sacred  House  I  spent  my  Breath 
X.iw  silent,  mouldering,  here  I  ly  in  Death 
These  silent  Lips  shall  wake  and  yet  declare 
A  dread  Amen  to  truths  they  published  there." 

It  is,  perhaps,  worthy  of  remark,  that  this  inscription, 
with  the  omission  of  the  word  silent  in  the  Line  pre- 
ceding the  last  and  the  necessary  change  of  name, 
date,  and  age,  is  the  same  as  the  record  on  the  tomb  of 
the  Kev.  Samuel  Blair  in  the  burial-ground  at  Fagg's 
Manor,  also  on  the  gravestone  of  the  Rev.  John 
Campbell  in  the  church-yard  at  Providence,  Mont- 
gomery County,  and  with  a  slight  change  on  the  tomb- 
stone of  the  Rev.  Owen  Thomas  in  Vincent  burial- 
ground.  It  was  probably  written  by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Da  vies. 

Although  all  that  wTas  mortal  of  Dean  has  mingled 
with  the  earth  in  this  "Country  Church-Yard,"  far 
from  kindred  and  his  native  land,  yet  He  who  never 
slumbers  watches  his  dust,  and  the  Church  cherishes  a 
grateful  remembrance  of  one  who  was  so  quickly  spent 
"  laboring  to  save  and  to  bless." 

Dean  left  a  widow,  four  sons,  Joseph,  Benjamin,  who 
died  when  near  his  majority,  William,  John,  and  a 
daughter,  Sarah.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Dean  resided  some  years  on  the  farm  which  they  had 
patented,  but  probably  on  account  of  the  education  of 
her  children  removed  to  Philadelphia.*  There,  Joseph 
became  a  successful  importing  merchant  and  a  noted 
actor  in  the  stirring  events  of  the  latter  half  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century.    He  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the 

*  Her  name  is  on  the  list  of  taxables  in  West  Nantmeal  Township 
for  17:>3. 


7s         BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    <  lUlM'll 

Non-ImportatioD  Resolutions  adopted  October  (25th) 
1765,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
loaned  tin-  <  Jc-in-ral  ( Jovcrnmi'iii  sixty  thousand  dollars, 
which  were  never  returned. 

He  was  selected  by  the  Assembly  in  December,  1776, 
to  serve  on  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Board  of  War  from  its  organization,  in 
March,  1777,  until  it  was  discontinued,  in  August  of  the 
same  year. 

In  January,  1781,  Joseph  Dean  was  appointed  one 
of  the  auditors  to  settle  and  adjust  the  accounts  of  the 
troops  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  and  in  the  Autumn  of  the  same  year 
a  Warden  of  the  Port  of  Philadelphia. 

John  held  the  rank  of  Major  in  the  Continental 
Army,  and  William  as  Colonel  in  the  same  service  was 
actively  engaged  in  all  the  battles  which  were  fought 
in  New  Jersey. 

Sarah  was  married  to  the  Rev.  John  Slemmons,  a 
native  of  Chester  County  and  a  graduate  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  who,  in  1765,  became  pastor  of 
Lower  Marsh  Creek  Church  in  York,  now  Adams, 
County,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Slemmons  was  subse- 
quently pastor  of  Piney  ( Jreek  ( Jhurch,  Maryland,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death,  in  1814.  Mrs.  Slemmons 
died  in  June,  1823,  and  her  ashes  rest  beside  those  of 
her  1  in-hand  in  the  Piney  Creek  graveyard. 

A  grandson  of  Colonel  William  Dean,  William  F. 
Dean,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  influence,  has 
long  resided  in  Philadelphia.* 

*  Minutes  of  Synod  of  New  Brunswick  ;  Archives  of  State,  vol.  i. 
p.  9;  Memoranda  of  Springton  Manor;  Hist,  of  Piney  Creek  Church. 


IN 


THE    FORKS   OF    BRANDYWINE."  79 


REV.  JOHN  CARMICHAEL. 

Born  1728.  Died  1785. 

Civil  war  had  ceased  in  England  and  a  Btable  govern- 
ment had  been  established  in  that  portion  of  Greal 
Britain  more  than  half  a  century  before  discord  and 
violence  were  repressed  in  Scotland.  The  attachment 
of  many  of  the  nobles  to  the  "  House  of  Stuart,"  the 
hereditary  fends  of  the  clans,  and  the  inroads  of  heart- 
less marauders  were  a  continual  source  of  disorder  and 
bloodshed.  The  oppression  and  suffering  which  the 
inhabitants  as  a  consequence  endured  led  many  of 
them  to  emigrate  to  countries  where  law  and  order 
wTere  supreme,  and  where  man  could  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
his  labor  without  annoyance  from  petty  chiefs  or  the 
followers  of  royal  pretenders. 

Among  those  whom  the  "  troublesome  times"  caused 
to  leave  their  native  land  were  David  and  Elizabeth 
(Alexander)  Carmichael,  who  came  from  Argyleshire 
to  America  in  1737.  They  settled  first  at  Hackensack, 
New  Jersey,  but  after  a  short  residence  there  removed 
to  Newark  in  the  same  State. 

Having  been  exemplary  members  of  the  estab- 
lished church  in  Scotland,  Mr.  Carmichael  and  his  wife 
connected  themselves  with  the  Presbyterian  (  lmrch 
in  Newark,  then  or  shortly  afterwards  under  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  the  Rev.  Aaron  Burr.  The  preaching 
of  this  able  divine,  and  especially  his  earnest  appeals 
to  the  unconverted  at  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  of  their 


80         BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTER]  \N    <  IM  i:<  B 

eldesl  son,  and  induced  a  serious  consideration  of  his 
condition  as  a  -inner.  The  counsels  of  Christian 
friends,  aided  by  the  prayers  and  example  of  his  pious 
mother,  led  him  as  an  humble  penitent  to  the  Throne 
of  Mercy,  where  he  obtained  pardon  and  peace.  Anx- 
ious thai  others  should  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  Saviour  and  share  in  the  comfort  and  reconcilia- 
tion which  he  had  found,  he  determined  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  Christian  ministry.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1755,  and  received 
the  degree  of  A.B.  in  August,  1759.  Where  he 
pursued  his  studies  previous  to  entering  the  College  is 
not  known.  But  as  the  institution  was  then  located  at 
Newark,  he  probably  received  his  preparatory  train- 
ing under  the  direction  of  his  pastor,  the  Rev.  Aaron 
Burr,  President  of  the  College. 

Nine  of  the  eighteen  members  of  his  class  entered 
the  Gospel  ministry.  All  of  them  living  at  the  time 
proved  faithful  to  their  country  in  its  hour  of  trial,  and 
the  suffering  patriotic  efforts  and  tragic  death  of  one  of 
them,  the  lamented  Caldwell,  of  Elizabethtown,  have 
become  matters  of  history. 

"Immediately  after  he  was  graduated  Mr.  Car- 
michael  commenced  the  study  of  theology  under  the 
direction  of  the  President  of  the  College,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Davies." 

He  pursued  his  theological  studies  with  so  much 
diligence  and  success  that  at  a,  meeting  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Brunswick,  held  in  May,  17G0,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

Mr.  Carmichael  spent  the  remainder  of  that  year 
in  supplying  vacancies  by  the  direction  of  the  Synod. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  81 

Among  them  was  the  unoccupied  pulpit  of  this  church. 
His  preaching  here  was  so  acceptable  thai  on  the  IStli 
of  September,  1760,  the  members  of  session  ad- 
dressed him  a  letter  entreating  him  to  become  their 
pastor.*  This  he  seems,  while  continuing  to  occupy 
the  pulpit,  to  have  held  for  consideration.  The  con- 
gregation, however,  determined,  if  possible,  to  obtain 
his  services,  and  on  the  13th  of  April,  1761,  presented 
a  call  to  Presbytery,  which  was  referred  to  him. 
Having  sought  Divine  Guidance  by  fasting  and  prayer, 
he  accepted  it,  and  on  Thursday,  the  23d  of  April, 
1761,  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Church 
of  the  Forks  of  Brandy  wine  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Castle. 

At  that  period  the  country  was  sparsely  settled  and 
the  inhabitants  for  the  most  part  in  moderate  circum- 
stances. One  of  the  meeting-houses  was  no  longer  in  a 
condition  to  be  used  as  a  place  for  public  worship,  and 
the  other,  though  in  a  better  state  of  repair,  was  too 
small  to  accommodate  all  who  assembled  on  the  Sab- 
bath. The  efforts,  therefore,  of  Mr.  Carmichael,  im- 
mediately after  his  installation,  were  directed  to  obtain 
the  erection  of  a  building  suitable  for  the  services  of 
the  sanctuary.  Infusing  his  own  zeal  into  every  one 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  he  succeeded,  during 
the  first  year  of  his  pastorate,  in  having  the  large  and 
commodious  meeting-house  built  which  has  recently 
been  taken  down. 

In  the  pulpit  his  manner  was  earnest  and  impressive. 
While  he  dwelt  with  frequency  and  power  on  the  ter- 
rors of  the  law,  he  also  faithfully  reminded  these  who 

*  See  Appendix  6. 


Si*  BISTORT    OF    THE    PRKSBYTKRI  AX    CHURCH 

were  weighed  down  by  the  burden  of  sin,  "that  there 
was  balm  in  Gilead,  and  a  Physician  there." 

Although  strongly  attached  to  the  creed  and  form 
of  church  government  in  his  fatherland,  he  considered 
them  of  small  importance  in  comparison  with  Godli- 
ness and  an  interest  in  the  Atoning  Sacrifice.  His 
labors  among  the  people  of  his  charge  were  greatly 
blessed.  Harmony  was  restored,  the  wanderers  re- 
turned to  the  fold,  and  not  a  few  who  had  been  cavil- 
ling ahout  points  of  doctrine  were  led  to  make  the  all- 
important  inquiry,  "How  shall  we  be  made  partakers 
of  the  blessings  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace?" 

He  visited  the  members  of  his  congregation  not  only 
statedly  but  frequently.  On  these  occasions  the  house- 
hold was  called  together  for  prayer,  and  the  younger 
members  of  the  family  recited  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism, and  happy  were  the  little  ones  who  could  "say 
their  questions"  in  a  manner  which  received  the  ap- 
proving smile  and  kind  words  of  Mr.  Carmichael. 

As  many  of  his  people  resided  at  a  distance  of  seven 
or  eight  miles  from  the  place  for  public  worship,  and 
buildings  for  school  purposes  were  few,  he  frequently 
preached  at  private  houses  on  the  afternoon  of  the  Sab- 
bath. He  also  made  missionary  journeys  into  parts  of 
this  and  some  of  the  adjoining  States  where  no  church 
was  organized,  besides  frequently  assisting  his  ministe- 
rial brethren  at  the  administration  of  the  ordinances, 
and  by  occupying  their  pulpits  when  sickness  or  other 
circumstances  caused  them  to  be  absent  from  their 
charge.      Bui  these;  were  not  h'is  only  labors. 

The  detail  of  kingly  and  ecclesiastical  tyranny  which 
Mr.   Carmichael    had  often  heard  from  parental  lips 


tn  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  83 

made  him  the  determined  foe  of  oppression  in  every 
form.  Before  the  Revolutionary  Conflict  he  observed 
the  cloud  of  war  which  loomed  in  the  horizon,  and  by 
a  series  of  articles  in  the  public  papers  warned  his 
fellow-citizens  of  their  danger.  And  when  the  storm 
did  come,  he  was  among  the  foremost  to  breast  its  fury 
and  provide  means  to  repair  the  devastation  which  it 
caused.  In  the  pulpit  and  at  the  fireside,  among  the 
members  of  his  flock  and  where  he  was  known  only 
by  name,  he  was  equally  bold  in  the  denunciation  of 
tyranny  and  faithful  in  portraying  the  blessings  of 
freedom. 

When  the  First  Congress*  met  in  Philadelphia  he 
called  on  the  members  personally  urging  them  to  ac- 
tion, and  after  they  adjourned  he  admonished  those  who 
remained  and  others  from  the  pulpit,  as  is  shown  by 
the  following  extract  from  the  journal  of  John  Adams  : 

"Sunday,  March  26th,  1775,  went  to  hear  Mr.  Car- 
michael  preach  at  Mr.  Duffteld's  church  on  Trust  in 
the  Lord,  and  do  good  ;  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land, 
and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed."f 

In  June,  1775,  he  preached  a  sermon  from  Luke  iii. 

14,  to  the  militia  of  Lancaster,  in  which  he  strongly 

advocated  the  lawfulness  of  self-defence.    This  sermon 

.was  published,  had  a  wide-spread  salutary  effect,  and 

soon  passed  to  a  second  edition. J 

*  The  First  Congress,  composed  of  delegates  from  all  the  Colonics 
except  Georgia,  met  in  Philadelphia,  September  5.  1774.  [t  consisted 
of  fifty-two  members,  and  was  in  session  fifty-two  days. 

■j"  Psalm  xxxvii.  3. 

t  It  is  the  only  production  of  his  pen,  except  some  articles  in  the 
newspapers,  that  was  ever  printed. 


84  HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Mr.  Carmichael  delivered  a  spirited  address  shortly 
before  their  departure  to  the  Volunteers  from  the 
upper  part  of  Chester  County,  who  left  their  homes  on 
the  8th  of  duly,  L776,  to  join  the  army  near  New 
York.  As  many  of  them  were  members  of  his  church, 
and  a  number  of  them  had  been  led  to  volunteer  by 
his  appeals  to  their  love  of  country,  he  seems  to  have 
visited  them  not  long  after  they  had  reached  their  des- 
tination, for  he,and  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  of  Pequea, 
were  present  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  which  took 
place  on  the  27th  of  the  next  August. 

But  if  his  ardor,  activity,  and  influence  were  so  fully 
required  immediately  after  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, they  were  still  more  needed  in  the  following 
year,  when  his  adopted  State  became  the  theatre  of 
wail  ike  operations. 

The  cannonading  at  the  battle  of  Brandywine  was 
distinctly  heard  throughout  all  this  section  of  the 
country.  During  the  progress  of  that  engagement 
wives,  daughters,  and  mothers  stood  at  the  doors  of 
their  dwellings  Listening  with  fearful  anxiety,  and  as 
the  report  of  each  discharge  of  artillery  fell  on  the  ear, 
were  rendered  almost  frantic  by  the  thought  that  it  had 
caused  the  death  of  a  husband,  a  father,  or  a  son. 

The  disastrous  result  of  that  battle,  the  appearance 
of  parties  of  British  horsemen  in  search  of  forage,  and 
the  conveyance  of  a  large  number  of  wounded  Ameri- 
can soldiers  along  the  Paxtang  Road  to  Kphrata  for 
medical  treatment,  caused  general  consternation  and 
terror.*      Some   whose   fears   were    greater    than    their 

*  Upwards  of  One  Hundred  and  Fifty  of  them  died  and  were 
buried  at  Ephrata. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  85 

patriotism  passed  over  to  the  enemy;  others  soughl 
safety  by  flighl ;  while  the  loyal  few  that  had  remained 
at  home,  who  were  capable  of  performing  military  duty, 
hastened  to  join  their  brethren  in  the  field.     During 

this  trying  period,  when  there  was  a  vacant,  chair  at 
almost  every  fireside,  the  labor  and  the  trials  of  the  faith- 
ful pastor  and  ardent  patriot  were  unceasing.  At  one 
time  consoling  those  whose  relatives  had  fallen  in  the 
conflict,  at  another  reviving  the  hopes  and  dispelling 
the  fears  of  many  who  were  ready  to  exclaim,  "  All  is 
lost."  On  week-days  assisting  aged  men,  women,  and 
children  in  the  out-door  employments  of  the  farm;  on 
the  Sabbath  fervently  beseeching  the  Supreme  Dis- 
poser of  events  to  end  the  evils  of  war  by  the  final 
triumph  of  the  cause  of  Liberty  and  of  Humanity. 

Mr.  Cannichael  visited  the  American  army  when  it 
lay  at  Valley  Forge,  and  having  learned  from  Gen- 
eral Washington  that  the  wounded  were  suffering  from 
a  want  of  linen  for  bandages,  he  returned  home,  called 
his  congregation  together,  stated  the  fact,  and  earnestly 
besought  the  female  members  of  his  charge  to  furnish 
a  supply,  even  if  it  should  require  an  abbreviation  of 
portions  of  their  clothing.  The  appeal  was  successful. 
A  sufficient  number  of  packages  of  linen  were  obtained 
to  till  two  bags.  These  he  conveyed  on  horseback  to 
the  camp. 

A  letter  is  extant  in  which  the  Commander-in-chief 
thanks  Mr.  Carmicliael  and  his  congregation  for  the 
supply  of  clothing  and  other  necessaries  which  they 
had  furnished  for  the  use  of  the  army. 

The  war  was  finally  brought  to  a  close,  the  inde- 
pendence of  our  country  was  acknowledged,  and   .Mr. 


86  HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Carmichael  thankfully  devoted  himself  to  a  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  his  Sacred  Oilier.  But  his  physical 
system,  never  strong,  had  been  weakened  by  his  un- 
ceasing exertions  in  the  cause  of  religion  and  of  civil 
liberty.  His  health  declined,  and  he  became  aware 
thai  the  time  of  his  departure  was  near.  He  arranged 
his  temporal  affairs,*  and  with  increased  zeal  in  his 
Master's  service,  preached  a  course  of  sermons  on 
Haggai  i.  10.  "The  design  of  these  discourses  was  to 
show  that  there  are  times  when  the  servants  of  God 
should  more  than  ordinarily  engage  in  the  promotion 
of  religion." 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  1785,  he  assisted  the 
liev.  Dr.  Smith,  of  Pequea,  in  the  communion  of  that 
church.  1 1  is  efforts  during  the  service,  and  the  fatigue 
of  the  journey,  brought  on  an  illness  from  which  he 
had  not  recovered  when  the  administration  of  the  ordi- 
nances to  his  own  people  took  place.  On  that  occasion 
his  bodily  weakness,  increased  by  the  exertion  which 
he  had  then  made,  led  him  to  express  the  opinion  "  that 
lie  would  no  more  drink  wine  with  them  until  he  drank 
it  new  in  his  Father's  Kingdom."  An  opinion  whose 
correctness  was  too  soon  verified.  Exposure  to  the 
rain  on  his  return  home,  together  with  his  previous 
debility,  induced  an  attack  of  pleurisy,  which  caused 
bis  death  on  the  lf>th  of  November,  L785,  when  he 
bad  entered  less  than  three  weeks  on  his  fifty-eighth 
year.v 

His  last   words  were,  "Oh  that  I  had  a  thousand 


*  See  Appendix  H. 

-|-  IK;  was  bom  <>n  tin;  28th  of  October,  1728. 


IX  "the  foeks  of   beandywine."  87 

tongues,  that  I  might  employ  them  all  in  bringing 
sinners  to  Christ!" 

His  remains  lie  in  the  Upper  Graveyard  beside  the 

ashes  of  his  eldest  daughter,  and  those  of  the-  two  part- 
ners of  his  joys  and  sorrows,  "who  preceded  him  to 
the  eternal  world." 

The  labors  of  Mr.  Carmiehael  as  a  patriot  and  a  pas- 
tor, his  energy,  faithfulness,  and  success,  lead  to  the 
belief  that,  like  holy  men  of  old,  he  was  raised  up  and 
specially  prepared  for  the  work  which  God  had  ap- 
pointed for  him  to  do.  He  seems  to  have  combined, 
in  a  remarkable  degree,  the  glowing  zeal  and  vital 
piety  of  Whitefield  and  the  Tennents,  with  the  bold 
advocacy  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  which  dis- 
tinguished Scotland's  great  reformer,  "  the  fearless 
Knox." 

Mr.  Carmiehael  was  married  in  May,  1761,  to  Miss 
Phoebe  Cram,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Dickinson,  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  College  of  New  Jersey.  She  died  Octo- 
ber 21,  1772,  in  her  forty-second  year,  leaving  a  son 
and  a  daughter.  Two  other  children  having  died  in 
infancy. 

The  son,  John  Flavel,  studied  medicine  under  Dr. 
Scott,  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  practised  for 
some  time  in  this  neighborhood  with  success,  entered 
the  army  as  a  surgeon  in  L7$8,  and  after  holding  the 
office  several  years  settled  in  the  State  of  Mississippi, 
where  he  accumulated  considerable  property,  and  died 
in  1837. 

The  daughter,  Phoebe,  for  nearly  sixty  years  an 
humble  and    upright   member  of   the   Presbyterian 


BISTORT    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Church  at  Cedar  Grove,  Lancaster  County,  died 
March  24,  L859,  al  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two 
years  and  Dearly  two  months. 

In  June,  1 773,  M r.  ( Jarmichael  married  Miss  Cath- 
arine Mustard.  Bui  this  union  wasofshorl  duration. 
She  died  in  August,  1774,  leaving  a  daughter  fifteen 
days  old,  who  received  the  name  of  her  mother. 
Thai  daughter,  on  the  death  of  her  father,  was  taken 
in  charge  and  kindly  cared  for  by  Elder  William 
Hunter,  a  leading  member  of  the  congregation.  She 
subsequently  resided  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith,  of 
Pequea,  and  also  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Buckley  until 
her  marriage,  in  September,  1799,  to  the  Hon.  Robert 
Jenkins,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  refinement. 

Mrs.  Jenkins  closed  a  life  noted  for  kindness  to  the 
poor,  a  liberal  support  of  churches  and  benevolent 
associations,  and  a  consistent  Christian  course,  on  the 
23d  of  September,  L856,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of 
her  age.  Both  of  her  sons  had  preceded  their  mother 
to  the  grave.  Four  of  her  daughters  were  married 
to  ministers  of  the  Gospel  eminent  for  learning  and 
ability. 

By  his  marriage,  in  April,  1775,  to  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Blair,  of  Fagg's  Manor,  Mr.  Car- 
michael  had  three  children.  Elizabeth,  who  became 
the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Donnell,  subsequently  a 
pastor  in  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  They 
removed  to  Tennessee,  where  her  death  occurred 
shortly  after  their  arrival.  Washington  Gates,  born 
about  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  surrender,  and  named 
in  honor  of  the  commander-in-chief  and  the  hero  of 
Saratoga,  entered  the  army,  but  died  soon  afterwards 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  89 

near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.     Francina,  the 
youngest,  was  married  to  a  Captain  Allan. 

Mrs.  Carmichael   survived  her  husband    Dearly  a 

quarter  of  a  century,  or  until  May,  1810;  and  Mrs. 
Allan  died  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  187<>.;: 


*  Sprague,  "  Annals  of  American  Pulpit ;"  Minutes  of  Presbytery 
of  Newcastle;  of  Synod  of  New  Brunswick;  Dr.  Leaman,  "Me- 
morial of  Mrs.  C.  M.  Jenkins;"  Local  Memoranda  ;  Dr.  S.  Alexander, 
"  Princeton  College  in  the  Eighteenth  Century." 


*.M)  BISTORT    OF    THE    L'KKSUYTEKIAN    (  111  i;<  II 


REV.  NATHAN   GRIER. 

Horn  1760.  Died  1814. 

Biography  often  affords  manifest  and  instructive 
proofs  that  the  Author  of  All  Good  watches  over, 
guides,  and  blesses  not  only  those  who  serve  Him  and 
keep  His  commandments,  but  also  their  children  to 
the  third,  fourth,  and  succeeding  generations. 

Anions:  American  statesmen  there  has  been  no  one 

o 

who  was  more  upright  in  public  and  in  private  life 
than  John  Adams,  and  of  him  only  can  it  be  stated 
that  the  Presidential  Chair,  in  which  he  was  placed 
as  the  immediate  successor  of  Washington,  was  also 
occupied  by  his  son.  Nor  is  this  all.  His  son  and 
grandson  discharged  with  ability  the  duties  of  Min- 
ister Plenipotentiary  to  England,  where  he  had  ap- 
peared as  his  country's  first  Ambassador. 

As  might  be  expected,  however,  the  lives  of  those 
who  specially  devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  the 
altar  present  numerous  instances  of  the  Providence 
of  God  in  blessing  their  descendants,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  in  making  them  "shepherds  and  bishops  of 
souls.":i: 

A  number  of  pulpits,  both  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  those  of  other  denominations,  are  occu- 


*  Dr.  Spring  stated  in  1849,  that  not  less  than  seventy  ministers 
in  the  American  Church  could  trace  their  lineage  to  the  elder  Ed- 
wards, who  was  himself  the  sou  of  a  clergyman. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  (.)1 

pied  at  the  present  time  by  the  sons  and  grandsons  of 
men  who  passed  their  lives  in  the  same  sacred  calling. 

A  notable  example,  however,  of  pious  ancestors, 
and  of  children  who  trod  in  the  footsteps  of  their 
fathers,  is  afforded  by  the  parentage  and  descendants 
of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier. 

John  and  Matthew  Grier  came  to  America  from  the 
North  of  Ireland  in  1732.  Shortly  after  his  arrival 
John  married  Agnes  Caldwell,  and  settled  in  Bucks 
County,  Pa.  Like  their  Scotch  ancestors,  they  were 
strongly  attached  to  the  doctrines  and  institutions  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  they  were  for 
many  years  exemplary  members.  Their  children 
were  trained  "  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,"  and  as  a  reward  for  their  faithful  oversight 
they  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  two  of  them  enter 
the  ministry,  and  all  of  them  become  worthy  and 
useful  members  of  society. 

Nathan,  the  younger  of  those  who  entered  the 
ministry,  was  born  in  September,  1760.  Naturally 
amiable  and  contemplative,  while  still  quite  young 
his  thoughts  were  turned  to  the  subject  of  religion, 
and,  like  Josiah,  he  early  gave  his  heart  to  God. 

Having  resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel,  he  passed  through  his  preparatory 
training  under  the  direction  of  his  brother  James,* 
who  was  also  his  theological  preceptor,  entered  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1781,  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1783.  After  leaving  the  University,  he  taught 
a  school  at  Pitt's  Grove,  N.  J.,  pursuing  at  the  same 
time  his  studies  in  theology. 

*  See  Appendix  M. 


92         HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Mr.  Grier  was  licensed  l>y  the  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia in  October,  L786,  and  passed  the  remainder 

of  thai  year  and  a  part  of  the  next  in  supplying 
churches  withoul  a  pastor.  Among  them  was  the 
congregation  worshipping  in  this  place.  His  Labors 
here  led  to  a  unanimous  call  from  the  members  of  the 
church  to  become  their  pastor  being  placed  in  his 
hands  and  accepted. 

On  Wednesday,  the  22d  of  August,  1787,  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  with  which  he  was  then 
connected,  met  here,  and  ordained  and  installed  him 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Forks  of 
Brandywine.  The  Rev.  Alexander  Mitchell,  pastor 
of  Doe  Run  Church,  preached  the  sermon ;  the 
other  ministers  present  were  Robert  Smith,  D.D., 
James  Anderson,  William  R.  Smith,  Nathaniel  W. 
Sample,  John  E.  Finley,  John  McCreery,  James 
Monroe,  David  Jones,  and  John  Burton. 

Mr.  Grier,  at  that  time  in  the  full  vigor  of  his 
powers,  was  well  adapted  to  carry  on  the  work  which 
Mr.  Carmichael  had  so  auspiciously  begun.  Ear- 
nest, impressive,  and  practical,  his  ministrations  were 
greatly  blessed.  The  attendance  on  the  Sabbath 
rapidly  increased,  and  his  influence,  aided  by  his  pop- 
ular manners,  soon  reached  far  beyond  even  the 
large  area  contained  within  the  bounds  of  his  charge. 

Having  early  perceived  that  the  services  of  the 
sanctuary  are  but  a  part  of  the  duties  of  a  pastor,  he 
frequently  called  at  the  residences  of  the  members  of 
his  congregation.  These  visits  were  not  permitted  to 
pass  unimproved,  but  were  u^i'd  as  opportunities  for 
pious  instruction.     Parents  were  mildly  but  faithfully 


in  "the  fours  of  brandywine."  93 

reminded  of  the  obligations  resting  upon  them;  the 
children  were  questioned  in  regard  to  their  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Catechism  and  their  knowledge  of  re- 
ligious principles;  and  the  whole  household  humbly 

and  reverently  howed  in  prayer,  while  their  pastor 
earnestly  invoked  the  Divine  Blessing  on  the  heads  of 
the  family  and  their  offspring. 

Instructed  by  the  glimpse  of  the  Eternal  World 
afforded  by  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  lie 
avoided  the  mistake  which  clergymen  often  make,  of 
frequent  visits  to  the  mansions  of  the  wealthy  while 
the  dwellings  of  those  of  stinted  means  are  passed  un- 
noticed. Such,  too,  was  his  amiability  and  warmth  of 
feeling-  that  he  was  equally  welcomed  at  the  homes  of 
the  poorest  and  the  richest  members  of  his  congrega- 
tion. 

In  addition  to  the  weekly  ministrations  of  the  pulpit, 
he  preached  during  the  Summer,  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  Sabbath,  either  in  school-houses  or  at  the  residences 
of  the  aged  and  infirm.  He  also  assisted  his  clerical 
brethren  at  Communion  seasons  and  on  other  occa- 
sions, and  frequently  supplied  the  pulpit  of  congrega- 
tions without  a  pastor.  Among  the  latter  was  the 
church  at  Upper  Octoraro,  during  the  fourteen  years 
it  was  without  a  regular  ministry,  before  the  installa- 
tion of  the  Rev.  James  Latta.  On  these  oceasions 
the  house  was  crowded,  the  attention  close,  and  the 
impressions  made  deep  and  often  lasting. 

As  his  predecessor,  Mr.  Carmichael,  adding  the  du- 
ties of  the  patriot  to  those  of  the  pastor,  labored  with 
assiduity  to  aid  the  cause  of  civil  liberty  and  enlist 
soldiers  to  combat  the  enemies  of  national  independ- 


94  HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

ence,  Mr.  Grier,  combining  the  pastor  and  tlie  theo- 
Logical  instructor,  and  working  with  equal  zeal  and 
watchfulness,  prepared  young  men  to  engage  in  a 
holier  war  under  the  Great  Captain  of  Salvation. 

It  is  well  known  that  a  hundred  years  were  per- 
mitted to  pass,  after  the  establishment  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  America,  before  a  Seminary  was  or- 
ganized  and  endowed  by  the  Church  for  the  special 
study  of  theology.  Candidates  for  the  ministry  were, 
therefore,  trained  by  eminent  divines  in  schools  opened 
for  that  purpose.  The  Log  College,  Blair's  School  at 
Fagg's  Manor,  Allison's  School  at  New  London,  and 
Smith's  School  in  Pequea,  were  established  mainly 
with  this  object  in  view. 

Mr.  Grier,  a  well-read  theologian,  following  their 
example,  received  a  number  of  young  men,  and  espe- 
cially those  of  his  own  congregation,  under  his  care, 
for  the  study  of  Theology. 

This  Divinity  School,  though  not  formally  known 
by  that  name,  took  the  place  of  Dr.  Smith's  School  in 
Pequea.  It  was  commenced  in  1792,  when  the  in- 
firmities  of  Dr.  Smith,  who  died  in  April,  1793, 
rendered  him  incapable  of  directing  the  studies  of 
young  men  preparing  to  enter  the  ministry. 

The  following  synopsis  of  the  course  pursued  by  the 
students  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Grier  is  from 
the  pen  of  the  most  eminent  of  his  pupils,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  McConaughy : 

"Those  who  studied  under  his  direction  were  ac- 
customed to  divide  their  time  between  the  study  of 
the  Scriptures,  Ecclesiastical  History,  and  a  series  of 
questions    about    One    Hundred    in    number,    in    the 


IN    "  THE    FORKS    OF    BRANDYWINE."  95 

usual  order  of  the  System  of  Theology.  On  these 
questions  they  were  required  to  write  pretty  fully  and 
submit  the  result  to  his  examination  and  criticism. 
In  like  manner  they  composed  sermons,  on  which  they 
had  his  opinion  as  to  matter  and  style. 

"  Besides  this,  they  had  the  advantages  of  his  Chris- 
tian example,  the  genial  influence  of  his  well-ordered 
household,  and  his  daily  counsel  and  guidance." 

Of  the  twenty  young  men  who  studied  Theology 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Grier,  one,  Mr.  John 
Ralston,  died  (in  1804)  before  the  completion  of 
his  studies,  and  ill-health  prevented  another,  Mr. 
John  M'Clure,  from  entering  on  the  active  duties 
of  the  ministry.  The  remaining  eighteen,  as  may 
be  learned  by  the  biographical  sketches  appended,  be- 
came workers  in  the  Gospel  field.  Seventeen  of  them 
were  pastors  of  churches,  and  one  passed  upwards  of 
thirty  years  as  a  Chaplain  in  the  Navy  of  the  United 
States. 

Three  received  the  honorary  title  of  D.D.,  and  one 
of  both  D.D.  and  LL.D.,  at  a  period  when  collegiate 
honors  were  not  so  freely  dispensed  as  they  are  at 
present. 

They  occupied  pulpits  in  six  States  of  the  Union, 
and  all,  with  one  exception,  faithfully  discharged  the 
duties  of  their  sacred  office  until  they  were  unfitted  by 
the  infirmities  of  age  or  removed  by  death. 

But  his  fellow-laborers  in  the  Master's  vineyard  were 
suddenly  deprived  of  an  associate  and  the  congregation 
of  its  pastor.  He  died,  after  a  short  illness,  on  the 
30th  of  March,  1814,  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  fifty-three  years  and  six  months. 


96  BISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTISM  AN    CIIUKCII 

The    inscriptioD    on    his  tombstone,   in   the  Upper 
( rraveyard,  closes  with  the  following  terse  and  beautiful 

lines  of  Goldsmith,  which  have  seldom  been  so  correctly 
applied : 

"  But  in  his  duty  prompt  at  every  call, 
Be  watched  and  wept,  he  prayed  and  felt  for  all. 
lie  tried  each  art,  reproved  each  dull  delay, 
Allured  to  brighter  worlds,  aud  led  the  way." 

Mr.  Grier  was  punctual  in  his  attendance  on  the 
councils  of  the  church,  in  which  he  took  an  active, 
though  not  a  forward,  part.  A  leading  trustee  of 
Dickinson  College  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life, 
he  watched  over  its  interests  with  paternal  solicitude, 
warmly  advocated  the  establishing  of  a  Theological 
Seminary,  and  ably  sustained  all  the  religious  enter- 
prises of  his  day. 

Although  his  sermons,  prepared  with  care,  were 
evangelical  and  well  illustrated  by  references  to  the 
Scriptures,  they  were  practical  rather  than  doctrinal 
or  controversial.  Gifted  with  a  voice  of  more  than 
ordinary  power,  Mr.  Grier  could  be  heard  by  a  large 
audience,  and  he  seldom  failed  to  enchain  the  atten- 
tion of  his  hearers  by  his  earnestness,  warmth,  and 
direct  appeals  to  the  conscience.  Indeed,  if  he  dis- 
played greater  power  in  the  pulpit  in  one  direction 
more  than  another,  it  was  in  his  ability  to  call  forth 
the  finer  feelings  of  our  nature,  and  arouse  the  dor- 
mant sympathies  of  the  heart.  He,  therefore,  often 
made  salutary  impressions  which  the  lapse  of  years 
tailed  to  erase.  As  an  instance  of  this,  the  writer 
may  state   that  he   has   heard  the  aged    relate,  while 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  97 

tears  gathered  in  their  eves  as  the  solemn  scene  came 
in  remembrance  before  them,  his  touching  appeals  al 
the  close  of  each  Communion  to  the  members  of  his 
church  to  live  consistently  with  their  profession,  and 
the  melting  tenderness  with  which  he  besought  those 
who  "  were  strangers  to  the  Covenant  of  Grace*'  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

Mr.  Grier  was  united  in  marriage,  November  13, 
1787,  to  Miss  Susannah  Smith,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Robert  and  Margaret  Smith,  members  of  his  congre- 
gation. She  was  eminently  worthy  of  his  choice,  and 
by  her  piety,  prudence,  and  careful  family  oversight 
strengthened  his  hands  and  lessened  his  worldly  cares. 
"  But  he  was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  her  counsel  and 
aid  to  the  close  of  his  life."  On  January  2,  1812, 
she  exchanged  the  probation  of  time  for  the  blessedness 
of  eternity. 

Their  children  were  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. Both  of  their  sons  entered  the  ministry, 
and  stood  as  faithful  sentinels  for  more  than  half  a 
century  on  the  watch-towers  of  Zion.  Their  eldest 
daughter  was  married  to  Mr.  White,  a  quarter  of  a 
century  the  popular  pastor  of  the  church  in  Fagg's 
Manor.  Another  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Parke, 
who  ministered  with  acceptance  upwards  of  thirty 
years  to  the  churches  of  Slate  Ridge  and  Centre,  in 
York  County,  Pa.;  and  the  third,  the  much-esteemed 
widow  of  Dr.  Thompson,  of  Fagg's  Manor,  was  for 
several  years  previous  to  her  decease  a  member  of  this 
congregation. 

Six  of  the  grandsons  of  Mr.  Grier  became  minis- 
ters of  the  Gospel,  and  live  of  them  are  Mill  engaged 


(.>S  HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

in  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of  Salvation.  Those 
who  survive  are  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  White,  two 
of  the  sons  of  Mr.  Robert  S.  Grier,  one  of  the  sons 
of  Mr.  Parke,  and  the  younger  son  of  Dr.  Thompson. 
Another  grandson,  Dr.  Nathan  G.  Thompson,  is  now 
a  Ruling  Elder  in  this  congregation,  where  his  grand- 
father and  uncle  declared  the  whole  counsel  of  God 
upwards  of  fourscore  years. 

A  discourse  entitled  "  The  Man  of  Bethany,"  com- 
memorative of  Mr.  Grier,  was  delivered  shortly  after 
his  death  by  the  Rev.  William  Arthur,  at  that  time 
pastor  of  the  Pequea  Presbyterian  Church. ;: 


*  Sprague,  "  Annals  of  Pres.  Church  ;"  Rev.  J.  N.  C.  Grier,  D.D., 
"  Historical  Discourse  ;"  MS.  Collections;   Minutes  of  the  Presbytery 

of  Newcastle. 


in  "the  forks  of  bra.ndvwim:."  99 


REV.   JOHN   N.   C.   GRIER,  D.D. 

Born  1792.  Died  1880. 

Iii  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Ireland  and  Scot- 
land the  settlement  of  a  pastor  in  charge  of  a  con- 
gregation is  generally  a  settlement  for  life.  The 
shepherd  and  his  flock  are  seldom  separated  except 
by  death.  The  hearers  of  "the  man  of  God,"  ven- 
erable for  years  and  piety,  are  frequently  the  grand- 
children of  those  who  welcomed  him  as  their  youthful 
pastor. 

This  unbroken,  harmonious,  and  Christian  rela- 
tion between  the  people  and  their  spiritual  adviser, 
from  his  entrance  on  his  ministry  until  its  close,  has 
not  been  confined  to  the  Eastern  shore  of  the  Atlan- 
tic. Instances  of  the  pastor  "  who  ne'er  had  changed 
or  wished  to  change  his  place"  are  not  uncommon  in 
the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America. 
The  remains  of  James  Grier,  Nathaniel  Irwin,  John 
King,  Robert  Smith,  John  F.  Grier,  Robert  White, 
William  Latta,  John  Carmichael,  Nathan  Grier,  and 
of  many  others,  await  the  resurrection  of  the  Just  in 
the  graveyards  belonging  to  the  congregations  which 
were  their  only  charge. 

Such  long-continued  labor  in  the  same  portion  of 
Zion,  which  Dr.  A.  Alexander  correctly  regarded  as 
a  strong  proof  of  ministerial  faithfulness,  is  well  exem- 
plified in  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier. 
From   his    installation  until  weighed    down    by   the 


LOO       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

burden  of  years  he  made  known  "the  truth  as  it  is 
in  -Ions"  from  the  pulpit  of  the  same  church.  Surely 
much  tli.it  is  interesting  and  worthy  of  remembrance 
must  have  occurred  in  connection  with  him,  and  with 
the  people  among  whom  lie  ''served  God  in  the  Gospel 
of  his  Son"  for  nearly  sixty  years.  Shall  the  pages 
of  history  be  crowded  with  the  deeds  of  warriors  and 
statesmen,  and  no  place  be  found  for  even  the  names 
of  those  who  have  disseminated  and  impressed  the 
precepts  of  that  Holy  Book,  which  are  the  sou  ices  of 
individual  and  national  well-being? 

John  Nathan  Caldwell,  second  son  of  the  Rev. 
Nathan  Grier,  was  born  the  8th  of  June,  1792,  on  a 
farm  in  West  Brandywine  Township,  then  the  prop- 
erty of  his  father,  and  now  occupied  by  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Louisa  Parke.  He  received  his  classical  educa- 
tion at  the  Brandywine  Academy  under  the  direction 
chiefly  of  the  Rev.  John  F.  Grier,  and  his  collegiate 
at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  September,  1809.  Shortly  after  his 
graduation  he  became  the  subject  of  Divine  grace, 
and  his  thoughts  being  turned  towards  "the  ministry 
of  reconciliation,"  he  began  the  study  of  theology  in 
the  school  established  for  that  purpose  by  his  father. 
Having  successfully  applied  himself  to  the  prescribed 
preparation  for  a  herald  of  righteousness,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Castle  on  the  7th  of  April,  1813. 

Mr.  Grier  passed  the  next  year  and  a  half  as  a 
probationer,  supplying  vacant  pulpits  within  the 
hounds  of  the  Presbytery,  and  after  the  death  of  his 
hither,  received  a  unanimous  call  to  become  his  sue- 


IX  "the  forks  of   brandywine."  10] 

cesser.  This  lie  accepted,  and  on  the  24th  of  No- 
vember, 1814,  was  ordained  and  installed  by  the 
Presbytery  with  which  the  Church  had  been  Long 
connected.  On  that  occasion  the  Rev.  Mr.  Arthur,  of 
Pequea,  presided, and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Graham,  of  New 
London,  preached  the  sermon. 

With  the  example  of  his  godly  father  to  guide  and 
animate,  and  the  fervent  prayers  of  the  congregation 
that  the  mantle  of  the  father  might  fall  on  the  son, 
the  youthful  pastor  entered  on  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  his  sacred  office.  But  although  he  made 
known  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel  with  earnest- 
ness and  power,  and  there  were  manifest  tokens  of  the 
divine  approval  of  his  labors,  yet  there  was  no  general 
awakening  until  1822,  when  forty-one  were  added  to 
the  membership  of  the  Church. 

This  was  followed  by  a  dearth  of  spiritual  blessings, 
but  in  1831,  seemingly  in  answer  to  the  earnest  wrest- 
ling with  God  in  prayer  by  the  members  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Castle,  there  was  a  copious  outpouring 
of  the  spirit. 

Like  the  revival  which  began  in  Freehold,  New  Jer- 
sey, a  century  before,  "this  refreshing  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord"  was  not  confined  to  this  church  in 
which  its  glorious  effects  first  became  manifest,  but  it 
extended  to  the  neighboring  congregations  of  all  de- 
nominations. Under  its  blessed  influence  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  were  added  in  that  year  to  the 
number  worshipping  here,  and  two  hundred  and 
thirty-three  in  the  six  years  next  following. 

Owing  to  the  large  increase  the  meeting-house  was 
crowded  on  the  Sabbath.     This  was  relieved  to  some 


L02       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

extent  in  1833  by  the  organization  of  a  church  at 
Coatesville,  made  up  in  part  of  those  who  had  been 
connected  with  this  congregation. 

But  in  L835,  the  uumber  of  members  being  nearly 
seven  hundred,  it  became  necessary  either  to  enlarge 
the  Meeting-House  or  to  divide  After  a  discussion 
of  the  subjeel  at  several  congregational  meetings  held 
for  the  purpose,  it  was  finally  resolved  to  separate. 
A.s  a  consequence  of  this  determination  a  building  was 
erected,  and  a  church  composed  entirely  of  those  who 
had  been  under  the  pastoral  supervision  of  Dr.  Grier 
was  organized  at  Waynesburg,  now  Honeybrook.  The 
large  attendance  was  further  reduced,  in  1830,  by  the 
establishment  of  Fairview  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Wallace  Township. 

Thus  in  the  short  period  of  seven  years  three  Pres- 
byterian Churches,  which  have  grown  and  prospered, 
were  organized  by  those  a  majority  of  whom  had  pro- 
fessed their  faith  in  Christ,  and  united  with  the  con- 
gregation worshipping  in  this  j:>lace. 

During  the  remainder  of  Dr.  Grier's  ministry, 
although  there  was  no  special  manifestation  of  the 
Divine  presence,  there  was  an  ingathering  at  every 
Communion  season,  and  notwithstanding  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  church  at  Downingtown  in  1863,  the  mem- 
bership of  his  charge  equalled  that  of  fifty  years  be- 
fore. The  whole  number  received  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  church  during  his  pastorate  being  about  thirteen 
hundred. 

In  addition  to  the  preparation  and  delivery  of  up- 
wards of  five  thousand  sermons,  the  baptism  of  nearly 
one  thousand  infants  and  adults,  pastoral  visits,  attend- 


I.N  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  lo:5 

ance  on  the  sick,  conducting  the  services  at  funerals, 
and  Sunday-school  superintendence,  Dr.  Grier  took  an 
active  part  in  the  temperance  reformation,  and  fre- 
quently addressed  the  public  on  that  subject.  A  de- 
termined foe  of  intemperance,  no  one  did  more  to 
guard  both  the  old  and  the  young  against  its  insidious 
advance  than  he  who  stood  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury on  the  watch-tower  of  human  welfare  and  hap- 
piness. 

But  the  toil,  the  trials,  and  even  the  triumphs  of 
his  long  ministry  at  last  unfitted  him  for  further  labor 
in  the  Gospel  field,  and  on  the  14th  of  April,  1869, 
the  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  at  his  request*  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle. 

His  work  was  done,  but  not  until  the  children  and 
many  of  the  children's  children  of  those  to  whom  he 
first  ministered,,  had  been  brought  by  his  faithfulness 
to  know  "  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  to  serve  Him 
with  a  perfect  heart  and  with  a  willing  mind." 

During  the  remainder  of  his  sojourn  on  this  side  of 
Jordan,  although  enduring  much  bodily  suffering,  Dr. 
Grier  patiently  and  prayerfully  awaited  the  dividing 
of  the  waters,  and  on  the  15th  of  September,  1880, 
entered  the  promised  land,f  to  which  all,  except  two, 
of  those  with  whom  he  first  met  at  the  "  table  of  the 
Lord,"  had  preceded  him.  His  death  cast  a  gloom 
over  the  community,  and  a  large  number  assembled  to 
pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  him  whom  they  had 

*  See  Appendix  I. 

f  He  was  the  last  survivor  of  those  who  prepared  for  the  niiuistry 
under  the  direction  of  his  father. 


|()1       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

often  seen,  on  a  like  occasion,  standing  beside  the  un- 
closed coffin  or  the  newly-made  grave,  warning  the 
impenitent   or  consoling   the   bereaved.     The  funeral 

service-  were  conducted  in  the  church.  After  some 
feeling  remarks  by  the  pastor,  Mr.  McColl,  and  the 
delivery  of  an  impressive  Commemorative  Address  by 
Dr.  Bingham,  of  Oxford,  Pa.,  the  oldest  of  the  six- 
teen clergymen  present,  the  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  many  besides,  took  leave  of  the  remains. 
They  were  then  borne  by  the  most  aged  pastors  in 
attendance  to  their  last  resting-place  in  the  Upper 
( rraveyard. 

Dr.  Grier  firmly  upheld  what  he  believed  to  be  right, 
was  punctual  in  meeting  his  engagements,  and  aided 
the  Councils  of  the  Church,  from  which  he  was  rarely 
abseut,  by  his  sound  judgment  and  experience.  He 
took  a  lively  interest  in  the  various  religious  institu- 
tions of  his  day,  and  every  feasible  plan  for  their 
extension  received  his  cordial  support. 

His  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  earnest  and  solemn, 
and  his  plain,  practical  discourses,  decidedly  evangeli- 
cal and  pervaded  by  a  tone  of  unaffected  piety,  "  were 
blessed  for  the  conversion  of  many." 

No  productions  of  his  pen  have  appeared  in  print 
except  a  Historical  Discourse  delivered  in  181'.),  and 
an  Address  to  those  who  had  assembled  to  congratu- 
late him  on  the  completion  of  the  fiftieth  year  of  his 
pastorate.  In  both  of  these  publications,  but  especially 
in  the  last  mentioned,  many  interesting  occurrences  of 
his  ministry  are  given. 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on 
him  by  Washington  College,  Pa.,  in  1841. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDY  WINE."      105 

Dr.  Grierwas  united  in  marriage,  on  the  9th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1813,  to  Nancy  K.,  eldest  daughter  of  ( laptaiu 
James  Ralston,  a  Leading  member  of  his  congregation. 
She  died  on  the  7th  of  November,  187:'.,  after  having 
for  more  than  sixty  years  contributed  by  her  prudence, 
discretion,  and  piety  to  increase  his  means  of  usefulness 
and  promote  the  beneficent  operations  of  bis  charge. 
They  had  a  family  of  four  daughters:  Susannah,  the 
eldest,  died  while  young ;  Louisa  was  married  to  Rich- 
ard Parke,  then  a  resident  of  Chester  Valley  ;  Frances 
to  Thomas  G.  Happersett,  late  of  Baltimore,  Md. ; 
and  Agnes  to  G.Washington  Neely,  recently  deceased, 
and  long  a  resident  of  Ohio.::: 

*  Minutes  of  Pres.  of  Newcastle;  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier,  "  Hist.  Dis- 
course ;"  Obituary  Notice,  by  Rev.  J.  C.  Thompson  ;  by  Rev.  John 
McColl  ;   Local  Memoranda. 


106       HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


RlTlilNC    ELDERS. 


Ruling  Elders  being  the  governing  body  in  a 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  those  on  whose  prudence, 
zeal,  and  piety  the  prosperity  of  a  congregation  largely 
depends,  it  might  be  supposed  that  at  least  their 
names  and  the  time  of  their  ordination  could  be  ascer- 
tained by  the  Church  Register.  But,  unfortunately, 
no  records  of  Session  during  the  first  eighty  years 
of  the  existence  of  this  Church  can  be  found.  It  is, 
therefore,  impossible  to  state  many  things  which  it 
would  be  desirable  to  know  respecting  the  godly  men 
who  upheld  the  hands  of  the  pastors  during  that 
long  period,  and  whose  faithfulness  may  be  traced  in 
the  growth  and  vigor  of  the  Church. 

The  following  list,  gathered  from  a  variety  of 
sources,  contains,  it  is  believed,  the  names  of  nearly 
all  who  have  been  Ruling  Elders  since  the  organization 
of  a  Church  in  this  place.  But  in  regard  to  several 
of  them  the  writer,  after  diligent  inquiry,  has  been 
unable  to  learn  the  date  of  their  ordination,  and  in 
some  instances  of  their  resignation  or  death. 

Earliest  Periods  <it  which  they  are  hnx>wn  to  have  been  Ruling  Elders. 

1735. 

Edward  Irwin Died  about  1750. 

John  Hamilton,  ceased  to  act  in  1741       ...      "in  May,  1761. 


IN    "  THE    FORKS    OF    BRAXDYWIXE."  107 

Robert  Hamilton,  ceased  to  act  in  1741. 
James  Ward,  ceased  to  act  in  1711. 

1741. 

John  Henderson,  ceased  to  act  in  1759. 

Francis  Alexander Died  in  Aug.,  1778. 

1745. 
Thomas  Reese,  M.D. 
Matthew  Robertson,  resigned  before  1760     .     .  Died  July  30,  1792. 

1760. 

Samuel  Allen,  removed  to  Mercer  County  about 

1805. 
Thomas  Rrown. 

William  Brown Died  in  Jan.,  1786. 

John  Culbertson ■     .     .  "  Sept.  2,  1794. 

William  Denny,  Sr "  Oct.  8,  1784. 

David  Denny "  Nov.  4,  1820. 

Francis  Gardner "  in  Sept.,  1783. 

William  Ervin "  Dec.  18,  1794. 

1776. 
Samuel  Holliday,  resigned  in  1783. 
Colonel  Robert  Smith Died  in  Dec,  1803. 

1785. 

William  Hunter Died  Dec.  18,  1804. 

William  Kennedy "      Feb.  18,  1814. 

1787. 
Samuel  Culbertson Died  in  April,  1788. 

1801  or  1802. 
John  Robeson,  resigned  before  1814  ....  Died  Nov.  4,  1846. 

1814. 
Joseph  Grier Died  Nov.  10, 1830. 


L08       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

James  Lockhart,  resigned   in   1829;   removed 

in  October,  1829,  to  the  western  part  of 

Pennsylvania. 

Richard  Templin Died  in  Nov.,  1824. 

William  Denny "      Jan.  14,  1819. 

Joseph  M'Clure,  Sr.,  resigned  in  1825     ..."      Oct.  15,  1827. 
James  Ralston,  Sr "      Jan.  28,  1834. 

Ordained. 

1815. 

Matthew  Stanley,  resigned  in  1840     ....  Died  June  15,  1844. 

John  Buchanan,  resigned  in  1837       .     .     .     .  "      Aug.  22,  1856. 

William 'Templeton <:      Sept.  1,  1849. 

Robert  Ralston "      Aug.  14, 1844. 

1825. 

Dan  Kirkpatrick Died  Sept.  19,  1829. 

John  Templeton "      July  27,  1865. 

William  Lockhart,  resigned  in  1829  ;  removed 

in  October,  1829,  to  the  western  part  of 

Pennsylvania. 

Robert  Mclntyre Died  Feb.  18,  1844. 

David  Buchanan,  resigned  in  1835      .     .     .     .     "      Feb.  20,  1875. 

1830. 

Samuel  Ralston Died  Jan.  1,  1859. 

James  H.  Long "      July  13,  1857. 

Joseph  M'Clure,  resigned  in  1839 "      Nov.  11,  1861. 

John  M'Clure,  resigned  in  1839 "      Feb.  9,  1873. 

1844. 

John  Ralston Died  Apr.  21,  1880. 

William  N.  Long "      July  13, 1862. 

David  Williams "      Feb.  7,  1849. 

Caleb  Liggett "      March  2, 1876. 

1859. 

William  Robeson Died  Nov.  27,  1871. 

James  K.  Grier "      Jan.  8,  1867. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  109 

John  Dauman Died  Oct.  5,  1871. 

Andrew  Buchanan "     Oct.  2,  1872. 

James  Liggett. 

18G9. 

John  F.  Templeton,  resigned  in  1876. 

1870. 
Gordon  Lallock,  resigned  in  1871. 

1877. 

Baxter  B.  M'Clure,  resigned  in  1882. 
John  Weber. 
Nathan  G.  Thompson. 
Benjamin  Rea,  resigned  in  1883. 

1882. 
F.  H.  Irwin. 
Charles  T.  Forrest. 
Lewis  Worrall. 

Samuel  Allen,  Thomas  Brown,  William  Brown, 
John  Cnlbertson,  William  Denny,  Sr.,  Francis  Gard- 
ner, and  Francis  Alexander  were  members  of  the 
Session  when  Mr.  Carmichael  was  installed. 

William  Denny,  Sr.,  Francis  Gardner,  and  Francis 
Alexander  died  during  his  pastorate;  Samuel  Holli- 
day,  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood  in  1765,  and 
Colonel  Robert  Smith  were  elders  in  177*1,  and  Wil- 
liam Hunter,  William  Kennedy,  David  Denny,  and 
Samuel  Culbertson  in  1787.  It  is,  therefore,  altogether 
likely  that  Samuel  Culbertson,  Samuel  Allen,  David 
Denny,  William  Hunter,  William  Irwin,  Thomas 
Brown,  and  Colonel  Bobert  Smith  composed  the 
bench  of  Elders  when  the  Bev.  Nathan  Grier  be- 
came pastor.     But  owing  to  removal,  resignation,  or 


110      HISTOBY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAX    CHURCH 

death,  all  of  them  had  ceased  to  be  members  of  Session 
before  Mr.  Grier's  decease. 

When  Dr.  Grier  was  installed  the  Ruling  Elders 
were  James  Lockhart,  Richard  Templin,  James  Rals- 
ton, Joseph  Grier,  William  Denny,  and  Joseph  Mc- 
Clure,  Sr.  During  his  pastorate  he  ordained  twenty- 
one  elders,  and  in  the  same  period  eighteen  of  those 
with  whom  he  had  taken  such  sweet  counsel  "  in  the 
household  of  faith"  went  to  their  graves  in  peace. 

When  Mr.  Heberton  became  pastor  the  members 
of  Session  were  John  Ralston,  Caleb  Liggett,  Andrew 
Buchanan,  William  Robeson,  John  Dauman,  James 
Liggett,  and  John  F.  Templeton. 

When  he  withdrew  the  members  of  Session  were 
John  Ralston,  Caleb  Liggett,  James  Liggett,  and 
John  F.  Tenrpleton. 

The  Ruling  Elders  at  the  present  time  are  James 
Liggett,  John  Weber,  Nathan  G.  Thompson,  Lewis 
Worrall,  Charles  T.  Forrest,  and  Frederick  H.  Irwin, 
all  of  whom,  except  James  Liggett,  have  been  ordained 
by  Mr.  McColl. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  Ill 


ADDITIONAL   NOTICES. 


Edward  Irwin  was  among  the  first  who  settled  in 
what  is  now  West  Brandywine  Township.  He  was 
one  of  the  Commissioners  sent  by  the  congregation  in 
1736  with  the  second  call  for  Mr.  Black.  After  the 
separation  he  attended  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Boyd. 

John  Hamilton,  Robert  Hamilton,  and  James  Ward 
took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  church. 
They  withdrew  with  the  New  Side  in  1741,  and  per- 
haps were  members  of  Session  in  Mr.  Dean's  congre- 
gation. John  Hamilton  was  one  of  the  witnesses  to 
Mr.  Dean's  will. 

John  Henderson  was  a  Ruling  Elder  in  Mr.  Boyd's 
church  until  1757,  which  seems  to  have  been  the  time 
of  his  decease. 

Francis  Alexander  was  a  supporter  of  Mr.  Boyd 
during  the  whole  of  his  pastorate,  and  probably  a 
member  of  Session. 

Francis  Gardner,  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ire- 
land, settled  near  the  Beaver  Dam,  in  Nantmeal,  now- 
Honey  brook  Township,  in  17o3.  He  was  a  Ruling- 
Elder  a  part  of  Mr.  Boyd's  and  nearly  the  whole  of 
Mr.  Carmichael's  pastorate.  Like  all  the  Scotch- 
Irish,  Mr.  Gardner  was  an  active  patriot  during  the 
struggle  for  national  independence. 


112       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCB 

Matthew  Robertson  (Robeson),  who  died  at  the  age 
of  ninety-two,  was  upwards  of  half  a  century  a  faithful 
member  of  the  church,  and  one  of  those  to  whom  the 
land  first  owned  by  the  congregation  was  patented  by 
the  heirs  of  Penn. 

William  Brown  was  a  Ruling  Elder  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  His  youngest  daughter,  Cath- 
arine, was  married  in  1 77< *>  to  Dr.  McMillan,  and 
shared  with  him  the  trials  and  privations  of  lite  on 
the  frontier,  upwards  of  forty  years. 

Colonel  Robert  Smith  was  an  active  patriot  during 
the  Revolutionary  War,  sheriff  of  Chester  Comity,  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  a  member  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature in  1785. 

William  Hunter  was  a  successful  agent  in  collecting- 
funds  for  restoring  the  Meeting-House  after  it  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire ;  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  one 
of  the  executors  of  Mr.  Carmichael's  estate. 

Joseph  Grier  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Continental 
Army,  and  one  of  the  "  Thirty  Men"  who  were  left  to 
keep  up  the  camp-fires,  near  Trenton,  while  the  Amer- 
ican army  moved  to  the  attack  at  Princeton. 

John  Culbertson,  Esq.,  and  David  Denny  were 
active  in  arresting  the  suspected,  and  did  good  service 
by  forwarding  supplies  to  the  "Continental  Army" 
and  assisting  the  families  of  those  in  the  field. 

Matthew  Stanley  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature in  1829,  '30,  and  many  years  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

Robert  Ralston  held  the  office  of  Prothonotary  dur- 
ing Governor  Wolf's  administration,  1829-35.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Presby- 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  L13 

terian  Church  at  Wesl  ( Jhester,  and  was  one  of  its  firsl 
Killing  Elders. 

Andrew  Buchanan  was  a  member  of  the  State  Leg- 
islature in  1855,  '56,  and  one  of  tour  brothers  who 
were  Ruling  Elders  in  the  Preshwcriau  Church. 

A  son  of  each  of  the  following  Ruling  Elders  en- 
tered the  Gospel  Ministry  :  William  Kennedy,  Joseph 
Grier,  Samuel  Ralston,  John  Templeton,  and  Caleb 
Liggett. 

The  fathers  of  the  Killing  Elders  whose  names  are 
subjoined  were  also  Killing  Elders:  William  Denny, 
William  Lockhart,  David  Buchanan,  John  McClure, 
Joseph  McClure,  John  Kalston,  Andrew  Buchanan, 
John  F.  Templeton,  and  dames  Liggett.* 

*  Dr.  Grier,  "  Historical  Discourse ;"  Records  of  Session ;  Penna. 
Magazine ;   Local  Memoranda ;  Office  of  Register  of  Wills. 


114       BISTORT?    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


TRUSTEES. 


As  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  obtain  the  names 
of  many  who  held  the  office  of  Trustee,  lists  of  them 
are  given  at  those  periods  only  when  either  their  ser- 
vices being  most  needed,  or  some  incidental  circum- 
stance caused  their  names  to  be  placed  on  record. 

The  Trustees  when  the  Manor  Meeting-House  was 
built,  in  1761,  were  Rev.  John  Carmichael,  John  Cul- 
1  Hit  son,  Esq.,  James  Moore,  Esq.,  William  Denny, 
Samuel  McKinly,  and  Francis  Gardner. 

When  the  Meeting-House  was  destroyed  by  fire,  in 
1786,  those  who,  as  Trustees,  took  an  active  part  in  its 
restoration  were  Samuel  Cunningham,  Esq.,  John 
Culbertson,  Esq.,  James  M'Clure,  David  Denny, 
James  Dunwoodie,  William  Anderson,  and  Robert 
Lockhart. 

In  1839,  when  the  interior  of  the  building  was  re- 
modelled, John  Templeton,  Esq.,  John  Ralston,  James 
Dorian,  Thomas  M'Clune,  James  K.  Grier,  William 
W.  M'Clure,  Joseph  Mackelduff,  and  John  M'Cach- 
ran  composed  the  board  of  Trustees 

James  G.  Templeton,  diaries  T.  Forrest,  John 
Weber,  Lewis  Worrall,  dames  G.  M'Clure,  David 
Harris,  Isaac  Sahler,  Zebulon  W.  Davis,  and  Baxter 
B.  M'Clure  held  the  office  when  the  new  church 
edifice  was  commenced  in  1875.     Three  of  them  were 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  115 

the  sons  of  those  who  were  Trustees  thirty-six  years 
hefore. 

The  Trustees  at  the  present  time  are  James  G. 
M'Clure,  Charles  A.  Robeson,  W.  P.  Moore,  Charles 
T.  Forrest,  Zebulon  W.  Davis,  Joseph  P.  Graham, 
Robert  Shields,  Samuel  C.  Mackelduff,  and  Francis 
Growe. 


SEXTONS. 


The  Sextons,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  have  been 
John  M'Cachran,  Isabella  M'Cachran,  James  Neal, 
James  Millegan,  Sr.,  James  Millegan,  Jr.,  Joseph 
Sims,  Samuel  Parsons,  John  Sinn,  Griffith  Sinn, 
William  Ballentine,  and  Robert  Cairns.* 

*  Local  Memoranda ;  Sessional  Records  in  part. 


IK)       BISTORT?    OF    THE    PBESBYTE KIAX    CHU15CH 


THUOLOUCAL   STUDENTS. 


••  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that 
bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace,  that  bringeth  good 
tidings  of  good,  that  publisheth  salvation." — Isaiah  Hi.  7. 

Those  whose  names  are  appended  prepared  for  the 
Christian  Ministry  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev. 
Nathan  Grier.  The  Biographical  notices  of  them 
have  been  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  license  to 
preach  the  Gospe).* 


Rev.  William  Woods Licensed  in  June,  1704. 

"  David  MConaughy,  D.D.,  LL.D.  .     .  "  "  Oct.,  1797. 

"  Patrick  Davidson "  "  Oct.,  1797. 

"  Matthew  G.  Wallace "  "  April,  1799. 

"  Thomas  Grier "  "  April,  1800. 

"  Joshua  Knight "  "  Oct.,  1800. 

"  Thomas  Hood "  "  Aug.,  1802. 

"  Levi  Bull,  D.D "  "  Sept.,  1805. 

"  Alexander  Boyd "  "  Sept.,  1806. 

"  James  Buchanan "  "  Sept.,  1806. 

"  Robert  White         "  "  April,  1809. 

"  William  Kennedy "  "  April,  1809. 

"  John  F.  Grier,  D.D "  June,  1810. 

»  Robert  S.  Grier "  "  Sept.,  1812. 

«  Samuel  Parke ".'  "  April,  1813. 

"  John  H.  Grier "  "  April,  1813. 

"  John  N.  C.  Grier,  D.D "  "  April,  1813. 

"  John  W.  Grier "  "  Sept.,  1818. 


*  Minutes  of  Pres.  of  Newcastle. 


IN  "the   forks  of   bkandywixf."  117 


REV.   WILLIAM  WOODS. 

The  Rev.  William  Woods,  who  appears  to  have  been 
the  first  that  pursued  his  Theological  studies  under  the 
direction  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  was  a  native  of 
Lancaster  County,  Pa.  His  academical  education  was 
obtained  at  Dr.  Smith's  school  in  Pequea,  and  his  col- 
legiate at  Dickinson  College,  of  which  he  became  an 
Alumnus  in  1792.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Castle,  June  17,  1794,  and  spent  some 
years  after  his  licensure  as  a  missionary  in  the  western 
counties  of  this  State. 

Mr.  Woods  accepted  a  call  from  the  united  churches 
of  Bethel  and  Lebanon,  in  Alleghany  County,  Pa., 
as  the  successor  of  the  Rev.  John  Clark,  and  was  in- 
stalled as  their  pastor  by  the  Presbytery  of  Redstone, 
June  28,  1797.  The  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved 
in  1831,  and  he  died  October  17,  1834. 

Bethel,  of  which  Mr.  Woods  became  sole  pastor 
some  years  before  his  death,  was  organized  by  Dr. 
McMillan,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania.  "It  shared  largely  in  the  blessed 
influences  of  the  revivals  of  1803-04."* 


*  Smith,  "Old  Redstone;"   Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Newcastle. 


118       HISTORY    OF   THE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


REV.  DAVID   M'CONAUGHY,  D.D.,  LL.I). 

Rev.  David  M'Conaughy,  D.D.,  LL. I).,  was  born 
in  Adams  County,  then  a  part  of  York  County,  Pa., 
in  September,  1775.  He  was  graduated  at  Dickinson 
College,  Carlisle,  September  30,  17(.>o,  standing  the 
first  in  his  class.  After  the  usual  course  in  Theology 
under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  ( rrier,  he  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  October  5, 
1707. 

Having  received  a  call  from  the  united  congrega- 
tions of  Upper  Marsh  Creek  (now  Gettysburg)  and 
Great  Conewago,  he  was  installed  as  their  pastor  in 
( October,  1800.  He  continued  in  this  relation,  faith- 
fully and  acceptably  discharging  his  ministerial  duties, 
until  the  spring  of  1832,  when  the  pastoral  relation 
was  dissolved  at  his  request. 

In  May,  1832,  he  was  inaugurated  President  of 
Washington  College,  Pa.,  an  office  which  he  filled 
with  dignity  and  ability  until  October,  184(J,  when 
tlir  infirmities  of  age  caused  him  to  resign.  He  con- 
tinued to  reside  at  Washington  until  his  death,  Janu- 
ary 29, 1852. 

Dr.  M'Conaughy  was  an  early  and  zealous  advocate 
of .  the  temperance  cause,  and  his  influence,  both  as 
a  pastor  and  as  the  Presidenl  of  a  college,  was  wide- 
spread  and  beneficial.  He  left  the  congregations  com- 
mitted to  his  oversight  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and 
"every  year  of  his  administration  added  strength  and 
reputation  to  Washington  College." 


IN 


THE    loKKS   OF    BRANDYWINE."  L19 


After  his  retirement  from  the  Presidency,  Dr. 
M'Conaughy  published  a  volume  of  Discourses,  chiefly 
Biographical,  of  Persons  eminent  in  Sacred  History; 
a  Brief  Summary  and  Outline  of  the  Principal  Sub- 
jects comprehended  in  Moral  Science;  a  few  Bacca- 
laureate Addresses,  and  some  Sermons. 

His  style  is  generally  vigorous,  although  somewhat 
diffuse,  and  his  writings  exhibit  clearness  in  the  state- 
ment of  facts,  a  judicious  selection  of  the  subjects 
discussed,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  knowledge 
and  religion. 

The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  Jef- 
ferson College  in  1833  ;  of  LL.D.  by  the  Trustees  of 
Washington  College  on  his  retirement  from  the 
Presidency  of  that  Institution.* 


KEY.   PATRICK  DAVIDSON. 

Patrick  Davidson  was  born  in  1775,  and  completed 
his  collegiate  course  at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle, 
September  30, 1795.f  He  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Castle,  October  5,  1797,  and  passed 
the  next  twelve  months  in  supplying  churches  with- 
out a  pastor. 

In  April,  1798,  Mr.  Davidson  received  a  call  from 


*  Dr.  Nevin,  "Churches  of  the  Valley;"  Sprague,  ••Annals  of 
American  Pulpit;"  Rev.  Dr.  Elliott's  Com.  Discourse. 

f  Among  his  classmates  were  Chief  Justice  Taney.  Judge  Kennedy, 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  State,  Dr.  McConaughy,  President  of 
Washington  College,  and  Dr.  Williams.  President  of  Jefferson  College. 


L20       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

the  congregation  of  Fagg's  Manor,  Chester  County, 
Pa.,  which  he  declined  on  account  of  the  smallness 

of  the  salary.  The  call,  accompanied  by  a  promise 
of  increased  support,  was  renewed  at  the  meeting 
of  Presbytery  in  October  of  the  same  year,  and 
accepted. 

He  was  installed  in  April,  1799,  and  remained 
aboul  a  year.  He  then  applied  for  a  release  from  his 
charge,  alleging  "that  although  the  congregation  had 
done  all  that  was  reasonable,  yet  certain  unpleasant 
circumstances  had  occurred  which  destroyed  his  com- 
fort and  hindered  his  usefulness." 

The  Presbytery  granted  his  request,  and  on  the  19th 
of  October,  1800,  he  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Toms  Creek,  Maryland,  by  a  committee  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Carlisle.  In  1801  he  also  became 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Piney  Creek  in  the  same  State, 
giving  to  each  of  these  churches  one-half  of  his  time. 

His  pastoral  relation  with  both  congregations  seems 
to  have  been  harmonious  and  pleasant  until  the  close 
of  the  summer  of  1809.  In  August  (15th)  of  the  same 
year  he  was  elected  Principal  of  the  Academy  at 
Fredericktown,  Md.,  and  removed  there  shortly  after- 
wards. This  caused  dissatisfaction  among  his  people, 
who  complained  that  the  preaching  of  the  Word 
was  neglected,  and  at  the  meeting  of  Presbytery  in 
the  Spring  of  1810,  they  asked  for  supplies.  Mr. 
I  )avidson  being  absent,  the  Presbytery  deferred  action 
until  its  meeting  the  next  September  (26th),  when  the 
pastoral  relation  was  dissolved. 

At  the  same   meeting  of  Presbytery  a  number  of 
charges    against   Mr.   Davidson   were    presented   by  a 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandy  WINE."  ll'l 

member  of  one  of  his  congregations.  A  Committee 
of  Presbytery,  after  a  careful  examination,  considered 
them  unfounded  and  censured  his  accuser. 

He  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request  on  the  25th 
of  September,  1814,  to  the  Presbytery  of  Baltimore. 
During  his  connection  with  the  Academy  at  Frederick- 
town  "  he  supplied  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  that 
place,  and  preached  occasionally  at  Pipe  Creek  and 
Creagertown  in  the  vicinity." 

Mr.  Davidson  died  October  9,  1824.  He  was  the 
first  that  was  called  to  his  reward  of  those  who  entered 
the  ministry  from  the  Divinity  School  of  the  Rev. 
Nathan  Grier.::: 


REV.   MATTHEW   G.   WALLACE. 

The  Rev.  M.  G.  Wallace  was  born  about  the  year 
1774.  Where  he  received  his  academical  training- 
is  not  knowm.  He  was  graduated  at  the  College  of 
New  Jersey  in  September,  17(J5,  and  succeeded  the 
Rev.  Mr.  McPherson  as  principal  of  the  Brandy  wine 
Academy,  where  he  remained  about  three  years. 
AVhile  he  had  charge  of  the  Academy  he  pursued  the 
study  of  Theology,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Newcastle,  April  4,  1799.  He  removed  im- 
mediately afterwards  to  Ohio,  and  wras  one  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  ministers  who  settled  in  that  Stale 

*  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Carlisle  ;  Rev.  W.  Simonton,  "  History 
of  Toms  Creek  Church;"  Rev.  W.  Noble,  "  History  of  Fairy's  Manor 
Church." 

9 


L22       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 

About  1  Si  )2,  Mr.  Wallace  became  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Cincinnati.  Subse- 
quently he  preached  at  Springfield,  Hamilton,  and 
oilier  places  in  Ohio.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
be  resided  at  Terre  Haute,  Intl.,  without  a  charge,  and 
died  there  August  12,  1854. 

Mr.  Wallace  was  an  excellent  classical  scholar,  a 
sound  theologian,  and  a  faithful  minister  of  the 
Gospel.:i: 


REV.   THOMAS   GRIER. 

Middletown,  the  oldest,  and  for  nearly  a  century 
and  a  half  the  only,  Presbyterian  Church  in  what  is 
now  Delaware  County,  Pa.,  was  established  before 
1724.  It  seems  to  have  been  among  the  first  organ- 
ized outside  of  Philadelphia.  As  the  records  are 
lost,  its  early  history  is  obscure.  A  copy,  however, 
of  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns,  presented  to  the 
cburcb  by  the  author,  has  escaped  the  ravages  of  time, 
and  is  justly  regarded  as  an  interesting  memento  of 
that  eminent  and  godly  man. 

In  the  latter  half  of  the  first  year  of  the  present 
century  the  congregation  known  by  the  name  of 
Middletown  presented  a  call  to  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Grier  to  become  their  pastor.  This  call  he  accepted, 
and  was  ordained  and  installed  December  16,  1801. 

Mr.  Grier  was  graduated  at  Dickinson  College  in 
1 7 ' > 7 ,  studied  divinity  under  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier, 

*  Dr.  S.  Alexander,  "  Princeton  College  in  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury ;"  "  Reminiscences  of  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier." 


IN  "the  forks  of  bbandywine."  123 

and  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle, 
April  3,  1800. 

He  remained  at  Middletown  until  the  close  of  Sep- 
tember (30th),  1808,  when  he  resigned  and  accepted  a 
call  from  the  church  at  West  Town,  Orange  County, 
New  York,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Hudson. 

Of  his  pastorate  at  Middletown  little  is  known ; 
but  taking  his  subsequent  ministry  as  a  guide,  it  may 
be  inferred  that  it  was  faithful,  laborious,  and  suc- 
cessful. 

He  was  installed  at  West  Town,  February  7, 1809. 
The  bounds  of  the  congregation  were  large,  embrac- 
ing the  territory  now  occupied  by  four  churches. 
He  labored  with  great  diligence  and  acceptance  until 
difficulties  arose  with  some  of  the  members  of  his 
charge  on  the  subject  of  baptism.  The  matter  was 
finally  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Presbytery,  and 
in  April  (18th),  1827,  the  whole  matter  was  referred 
to  a  Committee,  which  accepted  his  resignation  in 
September  (12th)  of  the  same  year. 

Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Grier  became  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Milford,  Pike  County,  Pa.,  and  remained 
about  a  year.  He  then  settled  at  Centre ville,  N.  J., 
where  a  meeting-house  was  built  for  him.  After  a 
pastorate  of  nearly  three  years  in  that  place,  he  re- 
moved to  Cold  Spring,  on  the  Hudson,  where  he 
continued  to  occupy  the  pulpit  until  his  death. 

"He  was  taken  sick  while  preaching  from  the  text, 
'Weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  and  your 
children.'  " 

Mr.  Grier  preached  without  the  aid  of  notes,  and 


124       1IIst<>i;y    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

with  such  earnestness  and  solemnity  as  frequently  to 
melt  his  audience  to  tears.  His  sermons  were  practi- 
cal, sound  in  doctrine,  and  imbued  with  much  of  the 
spirit  of  his  Divine  Master.  His  labors,  especially 
during    his   pastorate   at  West   Town,  were   greatly 

blessed. 

In  L815  there  was  a  copious  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit  among  the  people  of  his  charge,  one  hundred 
and  three  being  added  to  the  church  in  that  year,  and 
fifty-seven  in  the  year  immediately  following  ;  all  on 
a  profession  of  their  faith.  In  1820  a  still  greater 
awakening  took  place,  and  a  hundred  and  ninety-four 
became  members  of  the  visible  church. 

Mr.  Grier  married  a  Miss  McCullough,  of  Little 
Britain,  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  and  one  of  his  sons, 
George  W.  Grier,  resides  in  Goshen,  Orange  County, 
N.  Y. 


REV.   JOSHUA  KNIGHT. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century  a  number  of 
Presbyterian  families  associated  together  and  emi- 
grated from  Connecticut  to  Southwestern  Central  New 
York.  They  purchased  a  quarter  township  of  land, 
and  settled  on  the  Chenango  River,  a  tributary  of  the 
Susquehanna,  near  where  the  town  of  Sherburne  now 
stands.  They  arrived  on  Thursday,  and  by  the  next 
Sabbath  they  had  built  a  log  meeting-house,  in  which 
divine   service    was   held    every    week.      This  building 

*  Com.  from  Rev.  T.  Sheelar,  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.  ;  Smith,  "  Hist, 
of  Delaware  Co. ;"  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Hudson. 


IN    "THE    FORKS    OF    r.KAXDYWIM."  L25 

having  in  the  course  of  time  become  no  longer  Hi  for 
public  worship,  they  determined  to  erecl  another.  A 
difference  of  opinion,  however,  about  the  site  of  the 
new  meeting-house  led  to  a  division.  A  pari  of  the 
congregation  withdrew,  organized  as  a  second  church, 
and  built  a  house  at  some  distance  from  the  town. 

In  1802  the  Rev.  Joshua  Knight,  a  graduate  of 
Dickinson  College  in  1798,  and  a  licentiate  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Newcastle  in  1800,  was  installed  pas- 
tor of  this  church.  He  discharged  the  duties  of  the 
office  with  acceptance  until  1823.  In  thai  year  ln- 
married  the  daughter  of  his  first  wife,  step- daughter, 
and  as  a  consequence  was  deposed  from  the  minis- 
try by  the  Congregational  Association  of  Chenango 
County.  He  removed  shortly  afterwards  from  Sher- 
burne to  a  farm  belonging  to  his  wife  on  the  Mohawk 
River,  in  Herkimer  County,  where  he  spenl  some  years 
in  agriculture.  He  subsequently  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  but  his  property  having  been  destroyed 
by  fire,  he  was  reduced  to  penury.  His  wife  died  of 
grief,  and  he,  after  having,  as  reported,  officiated  a-  a 
Universalist  clergyman,  closed  his  earthly  existence 
as  a  pauper. 

That  the  evening  of  a  life  whose  morning  and  uoou 
were  passed  prosperously  and  respectably  should  have 
been  clouded  by  poverty  and  disgrace,  gives  rise  to 
many  sad  and  monitory  reflections.  Bu1  the  duty  of 
the  biographer  is  the  stating  of  facts,  not  the  penning 
of  meditations  on  the  errors  and  frailties  of  humanity. 

His  children  by  the  last  marriage  all  died  when 
young.  A  son  by  his  first  marriage,  it  is  said,  resides 
in  Michigan. 


126       HISTORY    OF    Till'    I'KKSUYTERIAN    CHURCH 

The  second  church  at  Sherburne  was  small,  never 
numbering  more  than  two  hundred  members.  It 
shared  Largely  in  the  revival  of  1816.  In  1830  it 
disbanded  and  formed  another  organization  in  a  vil- 
lage live  miles  distant.* 


REV.   THOMAS   HOOD. 

Thomas  Hood  was  born  on  the  farm  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  family  of  the  late  Matthew  Stanly, 
July  2,  1781.  He  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his 
lost  condition  by  the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Grier.  After  he  had  been  connected  for  sometime 
with  Mr.  Grier's  congregation,  he  determined  to  enter 
the  ministry.  His  preparatory  training  was  received 
at  the  Brandywine  Academy,  and  his  collegiate  at 
Dickinson  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  Sep- 
tember, 1799.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Newcastle,  August  3,  1802,  and  spent  about  three 
years  as  an  occasional  supply  in  the  central  counties 
of  this  State. 

In  October,  1805,  Mr.  Hood  was  installed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Huntingdon  pastor  of  the  united  con- 
gregations of  Buffalo  and  Washington,  in  North- 
umberland, now  Union,  County,  Pa.  At  first  he 
gave  to  each  of  these  congregations  half  his  time. 
But  the   congregation    at    Washington    having   been 


*  New  York  Hist.  Collections;  Hotchkin's  "Hist,  of  Western 
New  York  ;"  MS.  Com.  from  Rev.  J.  Chambers,  Pastor  of  Cong. 
Church,  Sherburne. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."         127 

reduced  by  the  change  of  residence  of  many  of  its 
members,  they  consented,  in  1809,  to  an  agreement  for 
Mr.  Hood  to  preach  there  every  fourth  Sabbath. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  held  at  Bellefonte  in 
1810,  the  residents  of  Milton  and  vicinity,  in  North- 
umberland County,  requested  permission  for  Mr.  Hood 
to  preach  for  them  one-fourth  of  his  time.  This 
request  was  granted  by  the  recently-formed  Presbytery 
of  Northumberland,  and  he  conducted  religious  services 
at  Milton  once  a  month  as  a  stated  supply  until  Octo- 
ber 7,  1812,  when  he  was  installed  as  pastor. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1819,  he  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  give  the  congregation  at  Milton  one-half  of  his 
time.  "  This  arrangement  continued  until  he  resigned 
the  pastorate,  April  21,  1835."  Mr.  Hood  was  noted 
for  the  excellence  and  solidity  of  his  matter  rather 
than  for  elegant  diction  or  an  attractive  delivery. 

After  his  withdrawal  from  the  active  duties  of  the 
ministry,  Mr.  Hood  resided  for  some  years  on  his 
farm  in  Buffalo  Valley,  Union  County,  but  he  finally 
removed  to  Lewisburg,  the  seat  of  justice  of  the  same 
county,  where  he  died  March  17,  1848. 

He  was  married  in  April,  1803,  to  Miss  Mary 
Hazlitt.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Hannah  M'(  "lure, 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  March,  1848,  a  short  time 
before  his  decease.* 

*  Com.  from  Rev.  J.  C.  Wattson,  D.D. ;  "  Hist,  of  Presbytery  of 
Huntingdon  ;"  "  Reminiscences  of  Ex-Governor  Pollock." 


128       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


REV.  LEVI  BULL,  D.D. 

The  Rev.  Levi  Bull  was  born  in  Warwick,  then  a 
part  of  East  Nantmeal  Township,  Chester  County, 
November  14,  1780.  He  manifested  an  aptitude  for 
learning  at  an  early  age,  and  was  graduated  at  Dick- 
inson College  in  September,  1798,  before  he  had 
completed  his  eighteenth  year. 

He  commenced  the  study  of  Law  in  the  office  of 
James  Hopkins,  Esq.,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  but  before  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  his  religious  opinions  under- 
went a  change,  and  he  resolved  to  devote  himself  to 
the  service  of  the  Altar.  With  this  object  in  view 
he  passed  through  the  usual  theological  course  in  the 
Divinity  School  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  entered 
the  ministry  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  or- 
dained by  Bishop  AVhite  in  1805. 

Instead  of  seeking  a  rectorship  at  a  distance,  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  native  place.  His  earnestness 
and  faithfulness,  together  with  his  popular  manners, 
caused  his  ministrations  to  be  largely  attended,  and 
resulted  in  the  organization  of  several  Episcopal 
Churches,  which  still  exist.* 

The  possessor  of  ample  means  both  by  inheritance 
mid  marriage,  Dr.  Bull  generously  assisted  every  be- 
nevolent object,  and  the  deserving  poor  never  sought 


*  Dr.  Bull  was  rector  in  1833  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Warwick 
Township,  Chester  County;  Bangor  Church,  Churchtown,  Lancaster 
County ;   and  St.  Thomas'  Church,  Morgantown,  Berks  County. 


ix  "the  forks  of  beandywim.."  L29 

his  aid  in  vain.  Imbued  by  a  truly  Christian  philan- 
thropy, he  regarded  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  every 
orthodox  denomination  as  his  brethren,  and  mingled 
freely  with  men  of  every  creed.  He  is  the  only 
Episcopal  clergyman  whom  the  writer  remembers  to 
have  seen  occupying  a  Presbyterian  pulpit.  At  his 
dentli,  which  took  place  August  2,  1859,  he  was  the 
oldest  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  in 
1844  by  the  Western  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
located  at  Pittsburg. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Bull,  Colonel  Thomas  Bull,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  "Continental  Army;"*  a  Representa- 
tive from  Chester  County  in  the  State  Legislature 
nine  sessions,  1703  to  1801  inclusive,  and  a  delegate 
to  the  Convention  which  framed  the  Constitution  of 
Pennsylvania,  adopted  in  1776. 

The  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Bull,  Colonel  Thomas  K. 
Bull,  a  gentleman  of  liberal  education  and  pleasing 
address,  resides  on  the  paternal  estate.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  three  years,— 1846, 
'47,  and  '48.  Another  son,  James,  held  the  office  of 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  Chester  County,  and  a  third 
son,  William,  recently  deceased,  was  a  member  of  the 
Philadelphia  Bar. 

A  grandson  of  Dr.  Bull,  the  Bev.  Levi  Bull,  is  a 
rector  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 

*  Colonel  Bull  was  among  those  taken  prisoners  by  the  surrender 
of  Fort  Washington  in  November,  1776,  and  endured  all  the  priva- 
tions and  sufferings  of  that  Libby  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the 
British  prison-ship.  He  is  said  to  have  broken  his  sword  rather  than 
surrender  it. 


130      HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

A  discourse  commemorative  of  Dr.  Bull  was  de- 
livered by  the  Rev.  Dr.  May  in  1859.* 


REV.   ALEXANDER   BOYD. 

Alexander  Boyd,  a  native  of  <  Jumberland  County. 
Pa.,  was  born  about  1780.  When  quite  young  he  re- 
moved to  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburg,  and  prosecuted 
his  academical  studies  at  Cannonsburg,  before  Jeffer- 
son College  was  founded.  His  collegiate  course  was 
completed  at  Dickinson  College  in  1799. 

Having  spent  some  years  in  teaching,  and  passed 
through  the  usual  course  in  Theology  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  he  was  licensed  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  September  30,  1806. 
In  1808  he  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church  in  Bed- 
ford, Pa.,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle.  After  labor- 
ing there  about  eight  years  he  accepted  a  call  from 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Newtown,  Bucks  County, 
where  he  was  installed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
delphia in  1817.  Owing  to  a  difference  of  views 
between  him  and  a  number  of  the  leading  members 
of  his  congregation  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  he 
resigned  bis  charge  at  Newtown,  in  1838,  and  settled 
at  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  County,  Pa.  He  remained 
there  until  a  year  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
184-3. 

.Mr.  Boyd  "  was  a  man  of  faithfulness,  prayer,  and 
power,"  and   left  an  impression  on  the  community  at 

*  Futhey,  "  Notae  Cestriensis  ;"  May,  Com.  Discourse ;  Commu- 
nicatiun  from  Colonel  T.  Hull. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  131 

Newtown  which  is  not  yet  effaced.  During  his  Pas- 
torate the  congregation  was  blessed  with  several  re- 
vivals, and  not  a  year  passed  without  the  addition  of 
members  to  the  church,  and  many  of  them  on  a  pro- 
fession of  their  faith. 

'  Mr.  Boyd  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Miss  Margaret  Watson,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Wat- 
son,  of  Lancaster  County.  His  second  wife  was  Miss 
Ann  Beatty,  daughter  of  Dr.  Reading  Beatty,  of 
Bucks  County.* 


PEV.  JAMES   BUCHANAN. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Buchanan  was  a  native  of  Sads- 
bury  Township,  Chester  County,  Pa.,  where  he  was 
born  in  1783.  He  received  his  academical  training  at 
the  Brandywine  Academy,  and  his  collegiate  at  Dick- 
inson College,  where  he  was  graduated  September  28, 
1803.  Having  completed  his  theological  course,  he 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  Septem- 
ber 30,  1806. 

In  April,  1809,  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
united  congregations  of  Harrisburg  and  Middle  Pax- 
ton,  where  he  labored  about  six  years  with  "  faithful- 
ness and  success."  Failing  health  having  compelled 
him  to  resign  his  charge,  he  spent  some  time  in  trav- 
elling. His  health  having  been  in  a  measure  restored, 
he  accepted  a  call  in  1810  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at   Greencastle,  Franklin   County,  Pa.     He 


*  Com.  from  Rev.  J.  C  Bush,  of  Newtown,  Pa.;   Com.  from  Rev. 
Dr.  Watson,  of  Milton,  Pa. ;  Minutes  of  Northumberland  Presbytery. 


L32     bistory  of  the  Presbyterian  church 

sustained  this  relation  upwards  of  twenty  years,  when, 
owing  to  ill-health  and  a  belief  that  a  change  of  place 
would  be  beneficial  both  to  himself  and  the  people  of 
his  charge,  he  resigned,  and  became  pastor  of  a  church 
at  Logansport,  Indiana.  He  remained  in  connection 
with  it  until  his  death,  in  September,  L843. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  much  beloved  by  the  members 
of  the  congregations  of  which  he  was  pastor,  and  was 
highly  esteemed  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry. 

Dr.  Elliott,  who  knew  him  well,  states  in  a  bio- 
graphical notice  of  him  that  his  sermons  in  their 
structure  were  neat,  systematic,  and  short;  in  their 
matter  solid,  evangelical,  and  practical;  and  in  their 
nainner  grave,  solemn,  and  earnest.* 


REV.   ROBERT   WHITE. 

Robert  White  was  born  in  Montgomery  County, 
J'a.,  in  1783.  He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  at 
Norristown,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Newcastle,  April  4,  1809. 

Shortly  after  his  licensure  calls  were  placed  in  his 
hands  from  Upper  Octoraro,  Fagg's  Manor,  and  the 
united  congregations  of  White  Clay  Creek  and  head 
of  Christiana.  He  accepted  the  call  from  Fagg's 
Manor,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  December  14, 
1809.  Be  continued  to  be  the  pastor  of  thai  church 
until  his  death,  in  September,  1835. 

His    sermons   were  plain  and   practical,  sound   in 


*  Dr.  Xevin,  "  Churches  of  the  Valley  ;"  Rev.  David  Elliott,  D.D. 


IX  "the  porks  of  bbandywine."         133 

rine, and  delivered  in  an  earnest, impressive  man- 
ner. Mr.  White  was  well  acquainted  with  history  in 
general,  and  he  frequently  drew  illustrations  of  the 
ProvideD  I  I  ""1  from  the  records  of  the  past  which 
were  both  apt  and  striking. 

The  only  production  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Whi 
Avliich  the  writer  has  seen,  is  a  sermon  entitled  "  Mel- 
chisedek,"  delivered  August  11.  1814.  In  it  he  ad- 
vances the  opinion  that  Job  and  Melchisedek  were  the 
same  person.  HI-  view-  are  well  sustained,  and  the 
whole  discourse  is,  perhaps,  as  clear  an  exposition  - 
can  he  given  of  a  subject  from  which  the  veil  of  m  - 
terv  cannot  he  removed. 

Mr.  White  married,  in  1809,  Nancy,  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  his  theological  preceptor,  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Grier.  Both  of  the  sons  of  Mr.  White  entered  the 
ministry. 

The  eld<  st,  Nathan  Grier  White,  after  finishing  his 
theological  course  at  Princeton,  was  licensed  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  October  2,  1^: '>:'..  He  was 
ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  church  at  Mc- 
Oonnelsburg,  Bedford,  now  Fulton,  County,  1';!..  dune 
11.  lso4.  a  relation  which  he  sustained  "until  the 
fall  of  1864,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  Williams- 
burg-. Blair  County,  Pa.,  where  he  is  now  laboring. '* 

The  young  R  ert  M.  White,  was  graduated  at 
Amherst  College  in  1834,  standing  the  second  in  his 
class.  Having  completed  his  tip  _  I  course  in 
l^:'-7.  he  wj  -  lained  and  installed  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Fairview,  A\  -  st  Virginia,  in  the  autumn  of 
that  year. 

In  September,  1848,  he  became  the  pas  the 


134       BISTORT    OF   THE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHTTRCB 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Chartiers,  Washington 
County,  Pa.  But  his  ministry  there  was  short.  He 
died  on  the  14th  of  December,  1848. 

A  daughter,  now  deceased,  of  Mr.  White  was  mar- 
ried to  the  Rev.  John  Moore.  Another  passed  several 
years  as  a  missionary  in  Northern  India  with  her 
husband,  the  late  Rev.  Robert  S.  Fullerton.* 


REV.  WILLIAM   KENNEDY. 

William  Kennedy,  whose  father  was  many  years  a 
Ruling  Elder  of  the  congregation  worshipping  in  this 
place,  was  born  July  4, 1783.  Through  the  influence 
of  his  pious  parents,  aided  by  the  faithful  and  earnest 
admonitions  of  his  pastor,  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  he  was 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  saving  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  and  finally  led  to  devote  himself  to  the  min- 
istry of  Reconciliation.  He  received  his  preparatory 
i  raining  at  the  Brandy  wine  Academy,  and  having 
passed  the  usual  time  in  the  study  of  Theology  under 
the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  was  licensed 
April  6,  1809,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle.  On 
the  3d  of  October  in  the  following  year  he  was  or- 
dained and  installed  pastor  of  the  united  congrega- 
tions of  Lewistown  and  West  Kishacoquillas,  Pa.,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon. 

In  April,  1822,  charges  were  brought  against  him 
of  conduct  unbecoming  a  clergyman.     These  charges 


*  Futhey,  "  Notse  Cestriensis  ;"  Rev.  W.  F.  Noble,  "  Hist,  of  Pres. 
Church  of  Fagg's  Manor ;"  Rev.  J.  F.  Collier,  "  Hist,  of  Chartiers 
Church." 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."         L35 

the  Presbytery  considered  unsustained,  but  be  was 
induced  as  a  consequence  to  resign  bis  pastorate. 

"On  the  first  of  October,  1822,  Mr.  Kennedy  was 
dismissed  at  his  own  request  to  the  Presbytery  of 
Erie,  but  finally  settled  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Clarion." 

He  supplied  the  congregation  of  Mount  Tabor,  in 
Jefferson  County,  and  of  Mill  Creek,  in  Clarion 
County,  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  which 
took  place  November  2,  1850. 

Mr.  Kennedy  married,  in  1809,  Mary,  third 
daughter  of  Benjamin  McClure,  an  active  member  of 
this  Church,  and  many  years  the  leader  of  the  choir. 
Four  of  their  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
reside  within  a  short  distance  of  Brookville,  Jefferson 
County. 

In  regard  to  the  charges  which  were  preferred 
against  Mr.  Kennedy,  it  is  no  more  than  just  to  state 
that  his  contemporaries  believed  him  to  be  a  good  and 
godly  man,  and  that  his  subsequent  lengthened  min- 
istry "  was  without  suspicion  and  without  reproach."* 


REV.  JOHN   F.  GRIER,  D.D. 

John  Ferguson  Grier,  only  son  of  the  Rev.  James 
Grier,  of  Deep  Run,  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
1784.  He  received  his  preparatory  training  at  the 
Academy  in  this  place,  entered  Dickinson   College, 

*  Gibson,  "  Hist,  of  Huntingdon  Presbytery  ;"  Com.  from  William 
B.  Kennedy  ;  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Newcastle. 


L36       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Carlisle,  in  1799,  and  was  graduated  in  1803,  at  the 
head  of  his  class.  He  subsequently  taughl  in  Pequea, 
was  principal  nearly  five  years  of  the  Brandywine 
A.cademy,  completed  his  Theological  course  under  the 
direction  of  his  uncle,  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  and 
was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Newcastle,  June  26,  1810. 

Dr.  Grier  settled  at  Reading,  Pa.,  where  he  was 
instrumental  in  gathering  together  and  organizing  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  that  city,  of  winch  he 
was  installed  pastor  November  23,  1814.  In  addition 
to  the  conscientious  discharge  of  his  pastoral  duties 
he  conducted  a  Classical  School,  which  obtained  a  high 
reputation  and  was  well  patronized.  A  warm  friend 
of  education,  he  was  several  years  an  active  Trustee  of 
Dickinson  College,  and  it  is  altogether  likely  if  his 
life  had  been  prolonged  that  the  College  would  have 
remained  under  Presbyterian  control.  The  honorary 
degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  College 
at  Meadville. 

Dr.  Grier's  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  dignified  and 
solemn,  but  close  attention  to  his  manuscript  during 
the  delivery  of  his  sermons,  which  wrere  models  of 
diction  and  close  thought,  made  them  less  attractive 
and  impressive  than  their  excellence  merited. 

He  died  suddenly,  January  20,  1829,  during  the 
progress  of  a  revival  which  added  many  to  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church  of  which  he  had  been  the 
faithful  and  only  pastor.* 


*  Sprapue,  "  Annals  of   American   Pulpit ;"   C.  B.  Penrose,  Esq., 
Commemorative  Discourse. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywink."  137 


REV.   ROBERT   S.   GRIER. 

The  eldest  son  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  Robert 
Smith  Grier,  was  born  May  11,  1790.  In  answer,  no 
doubt,  to  the  prayers  of  his  godly  parents,  he  was 
hopefully  converted  at  an  early  age,  and  led  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  divinely-appointed  work  of  win- 
ning souls  to  Christ. 

Mr.  Grier  passed,  from  1802  to  1807,  in  prepara- 
tory studies  at  the  Brandywine  Academy,  and  in  the 
last-mentioned  year  entered  Dickinson  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  September  27,  1809.  He  studied 
Theology  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  and  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle  in  Septem- 
ber, 1812." 

He  preached  as  a  supply  to  congregations  without 
a  pastor  until  the  winter  of  1814,  when  he  received 
a  call  from  the  churches  of  Toms  Creek,  now  Ein- 
mittsburg,  and  Piney  Creek,  Md.  This  call  he  ac- 
cepted, and  was  ordained  and  installed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Carlisle,  November  14,  1814.  He  remained 
in  the  pastoral  charge  of  these  congregations  until  his 
death,  on  the  28th  of  December,  1865,  closed  his  pas- 
torate of  fifty-one  years. 

The  Christian  fellowship  which  subsisted  between 
Mr.  Grier  and  the  members  of  the  churches  of  which 
he  had  the  spiritual  oversight  is  shown  by  his  long 
residence  among  them,  and  his  faithfulness,  by  the 
number  gathered  into  the  fold  at  each  communion 
season.     In  the  sanctuary,   his  manner  was    earnest 

10 


loS       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHTJRCE 

and  solemn,  his  language  plain  and  direct,  and  his 
discourses  argumentative,  practical,  and  convincing. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  both  the  sons  of  the 
Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  and  also  his  sons-in-law,  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  White  and  Parke,  remained  during  the  en- 
tire period  of  their  ministry  in  charge  of  the  congre- 
gations over  which  they  were  first  installed.  Like 
the  pastor  of  Goldsmith's  "  Deserted  Village," 

"  Remote  from  towns,  each  ran  his  godly  race, 
And  never  changed,  nor  wished  to  change  his  place." 

Both  the  sons  of  Robert  S.  Grier  entered  the  min- 
istry, and  are  laboring  with  acceptance  in  West  Vir- 
ginia. The  elder,  Smith  F.  Grier,  as  pastor  of  the  New 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  where  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  his  installation  has  recently  been 
celebrated,  and  the  younger,  Lafferty  Grier,  as  pastor 
of  the  Elm  Grove  Presbyterian  Church,  where  he  has 
been  stationed  the  last  eighteen  years.* 


REV.  SAMUEL   PARKE. 

Samuel  Parke  was  born  in  Sadsbury  Township, 
Chester  County,  November  25,  1788.  His  parents 
being  members  of  the  Upper  Octoraro  Church,  lie 
was  early  brought  to  a  sense  of  his  lost  condition,  and 
having  experienced  a  change  of  heart,  resolved  to 
devote  himself  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry. 

*  Rev.  W.  Simonton,  "  Hist,  of  Emmittsburg  Pres.  Church  ;"  Min- 
utes of  Presb}Ttery  of  Carlisle. 


IN  "the  forks  of  braxdywine."  i:')(.> 

After  careful  preparation,  he  entered  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, Carlisle,  and  was  graduated  in  September,  1809. 
Having  completed  his  theological  course,  he  w;is 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  April  7, 
1813. 

In  August,  1814,  Mr.  Parke  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Slate 
Ridge,  York  County,  Pa.,  and  also  of  Centre  Church 
in  the  same  County,  giving  to  the  latter  one-third  of 
his  time.  He  ministered  to  both  of  these  congrega- 
tions about  thirty  years,  when  he  resigned  the  Pas- 
torate of  the  Centre  Church,  but  continued  to  occupy 
the  pulpit  of  the  Slate  Ridge  Church. 

In  1857  the  infirmities  of  age  led  him  to  obtain  a 
dissolution  of  the  Pastoral  relation,  and  he  remained 
without  a  charge  until  his  death,  December  20,  1869. 

Mr.  Parke  faithfully  performed  the  duties  of  his 
sacred  office,  and  was  much  beloved  by  the  members 
of  his  flock.  During  his  ministry  of  more  than  forty 
years  there  were  many  tokens  of  the  Divine  approval 
of  his  labors,  and  the  congregations  of  which  he  had 
the  oversight  annually  increased.  His  manner  in  the 
pulpit  was  peculiarly  solemn  and  impressive.  Prac- 
tical piety  rather  than  doctrinal  controversy  formed 
the  chief  subject  of  his  discourses. 

Mr.  Parke  married  Martini,  the  second  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier. 

His  son,  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier  Parke,  D.D.,  was 
graduated  at  Jefferson  College  in  1840,  completed  his 
theological  course  at  Princeton  in  1844,  and  is  now 
Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Pittston,  Lu- 
zerne County,  Pa. 


140       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAM    (  IIURCH 

In  1867,  Dr.  Parke,  with  others,  represented  the 
Old  School  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  Assembly  of 
the  Free  ( !hurch  of  Scotland,  and  also  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  the  same  country.* 


REV.   JOHN   H.   GRIER. 

John  Hays  Grier,  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Jane 
(Hays)  Grier,  was  born  about  seven  miles  from 
Doylestown,  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  February  7,  1788. 
When  he  was  quite  young,  his  parents,  who  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Deep  Run  Presbyterian  Church,  removed 
from  Bucks  County  and  settled  on  the  farm  recently 
owned  by  their  grandson,  Elder  Baxter  B.  McClure. 

Mr.  Grier  received  his  preparatory  training  at  the 
Brandywine  Academy,  and  completed  his  collegiate 
course  at  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  in  September, 
1809.  Among  his  classmates  were  James  Buchanan, 
late  President  of  the  United  States,  Robert  S.  Grier, 
John  W.  Grier,  and  J.  N.  C.  Grier,  well-known  min- 
isters of  the  Gospel. 

Mr.  Grier  studied  Theology  under  the  direction  of 
his  uncle,  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  and  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcas- 
tle, April  7,  1813.  He  was  installed  pastor  of  the 
United  Churches  of  Pine  Creek  and  Great  Island, 
Lycoming  County,  Pa.,  in  the  Fall  of  1814.  He  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  both  these  churches  until  1827, 

*  Futhey,  "  Hist,  of  Upper  Oct.  Church  ;"  Minutes  of  Presbytery 
of  Carlisle;  Presbyterian  Banner. 


IN  "the  forks  of  beandywine."  141 

when  he  resigned  the  pastorate  of  Great  Island,  now 
Lock  Haven,  and  divided  t lie  time  previously  devoted 
to  it  between  a  charge  in  Xipenose  Valley  and  an- 
other at  New  Berry,  now  included  in  the  town  of 
Williamsport. 

In  1840  the  members  of  the  Pine  Creek  Church 
built  a  house  for  public  worship  in  the  village  of 
Jersey  Shore,  and  the  congregation  was  afterwards 
designated  by  the  name  of  that  village,  the  term 
Pine  Creek  being  dropped. 

Mr.  Grier  resigned  the  pastorate  of  Jersey  Shore  in 
ISIS,  but  continued  to  supply  the  congregation  in 
Xijienose  Valley  until  I860,  when  he  withdrew  from 
the  active  duties  of  the  ministry. 

When  he  commenced  his  labors  in  Lycoming 
County  it  was  sparsely  settled,  church  buildings  were 
few,  and  the  opportunities  for  hearing  the  preached 
Word  limited.  At  the  close  of  his  half-century  of 
ministerial  work  the  county  was  populous,  churches 
were  largely  multiplied,  and  a  band  of  devoted  men, 
representing  all  the  orthodox  denominations,  pro- 
claimed the  words  of  truth  in  cities  and  villages,  oc- 
cupying places  where  he  had  declared  "  the  whole 
counsel  of  God"  in  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness. 

Unassuming  and  genial,  Mr.  Grier  was  always  de- 
servedly popular  with  the  young  people,  not  only  of 
his  charge  but  also  of  other  denominations.  This  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  he  solemnized  a  greater 
number  of  marriages  than  any  other  clergyman  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery,  being  frequently  called 
a  distance  of  several  miles  to  perform  the  interesting 
ceremony. 


1-P2      HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHTJRCH 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation  Mr. 
Grier  resided  at  Jersey  Shore.  He  was  probably  the 
oldest  Presbyteriao  clergyman  in  this  State,  and, 
although  his  physical  and  mental  powers  were  some- 
what impaired,  he  entered  on  his  ninetieth  year  in 
the  enjoyment  of  comparatively  good  health.* 

Mr.  Grier  died  February  3, 1880,  within  four  days 
of  having  completed  his  ninety-second  year. 


KEY.   JOHN  W.   GRIER. 

John  Walker  Grier  was  born  in  Bucks  County,  Pa., 
in  1789.  When  he  was  quite  young  his  parents  re- 
moved from  Bucks  County  and  settled  within  the 
bounds  of  this  congregation,  of  which  his  father,  Col- 
onel Jos.  Grier,  was  upwards  of  twenty  years  a  Ruling 
Elder. 

Having  been  hopefully  converted  during  a  season 
of  refreshing  in  the  church,  Mr.  Grier,  in  obedience 
to  his  own  sense  of  duty  and  the  wishes  of  his  pious 
patents,  resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry.  With  this  object  in  view,  he 
passed  through  a  preparatory  course  at  the  Brandy- 
wine  Academy  and  entered  Dickinson  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1809.  His  theological  studies 
were  commenced  in  the  Divinity  School  of*  his  uncle, 
the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,  and  completed  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Mason,  of  New  York  City,  and  in 
the  Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J. 

Mr.  Grier  then  turned   his  attention  to  teaching, 

*  Com.  fn.in  R.  II.  Grier;  Min.  Pres.  of  Newcastle  ;  Personal  Rem- 
iniscences. 


ix  "the  forks  of  brandy  win  i-:."  143 

reopened  the  Brandywine  Academy,  which  had  heen 
closed  since  the  withdrawal  of  Dr.  J.  F.  Grier,  and 
continued  in  charge  of  it  until  the  Spring  of  1822, 
when  lie  resigned,  and  became  principal  of  the  Ches- 
ter County  Academy.  He  retained  his  connection 
with  that  Institution  until  1826,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  John  Quincy  Adams  a  Chaplain  in  the 
navy  of  the  United  States.  This  office  his  amiable 
disposition,  gentlemanly  manners,  and  uniformly 
Christian  deportment  eminently  qualified  him  to  fill, 
and  he  discharged  its  duties  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 

He  held  the  position  until  1857,  when  the  infirmi- 
ties of  nearly  threescore  and  ten  caused  him  to  resign, 
and  he  passed  the  remaining  seven  years  of  his  life 
in  literary  leisure  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  society 
of  his  numerous  friends. 

During  his  connection  with  the  navy,  Mr.  Grier 
visited  nearly  all  of  the  commercial  cities  and  many 
of  the  most  interesting  localities  in  both  hemispheres ; 
and  his  stores  of  information  gathered  during  his 
voyages  and  travels  made  his  conversation  highly 
interesting  and  instructive.  He  was  an  excellent 
Hebraist,  a  good  classical  scholar,  and  a  well-read 
theologian. 

Mr.  Grier  was  one  of  a  Committee  of  eight  who, 
in  1831,  signed,  in  behalf  of  an  association  formed  for 
the  purpose,  the  contract  for  the  publication  of  the 
first  number  of  that  widely-known  and  influential 
periodical  the  Presbyterian.  He  was  also  the  first 
superintendent  of  the  Manor  Sunday-School. 

Mr.  Grier  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New- 
castle, September  30,  1818,  and  ordained  in  182G  by 


1   II       EISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  when  he  was  about 
to  enter  the  oavy. 

His  only  surviving  son,  the  Rev.  Matthew  B.  Grier, 
D.D.,  well  known  as  the  senior  editor  of  the  Presby- 
terian, was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle 
at  Wilmington,  Del.,  in  1843,  and  ordained  and  in- 
stalled pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Ellicott's 
Mills,  Md.,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Baltimore,  in  No- 
vember, IS  17. 

The  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  at  his  request  in 
November,  1852,  and  lie  accepted  a  call  to  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Wilmington,  N.  C.  Dr.  Grier 
remained  at  Wilmington,  laboring  faithfully  and  ac- 
ceptably, until  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  when 
he  was  forced,  on  account  of  his  loyalty  to  the  Union, 
to  withdraw  to  a  Northern  city.  He  has  now  been 
for  many  years  the  leading  editor  of  the  Presbyterian, 
and  is  at  present  supplying  the  church  at  Ridley  Park, 
near  the  city  of  Philadelphia.* 

The  following  members  of  his  Congregation  became 
Ministers  of  the  Gospel  during  the  Pastorate  of  Dr. 
J.  N.  C.  Grier  : 


Rev.  Robert  M'Cachran. 

"  Anderson  B.  Quay. 

"  Britton  E.  Collins. 

"  Ben j ami d  M.  Nyce. 

<:  Richard  Walker. 

"  Matthew  B.  Grier,  D.D. 

"  Rees  Happersett,  D.D. 


Rev.  Jas.  G.  Ralston,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

"  William  Pinkerton. 

"  William  H.  Templeton. 

"  John  C.  Thompson. 

"  John  Pinkerton. 

"  John  Liggett. 

"  David  W.  Moore. 


*  Minutes  of  Newcastle  Pres. ;  Minutes  of  Pres.  of  Philadelphia  ; 
Cruise  of  the  "Potomac;"  Personal  Reminiscences. 


IX    "  THE    FORKS    OF    15  RANDY  WINE."  145 


REV.   ROBERT   M'CACHRAN. 

Robert  M'Cachran,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  was 
born  and  grew  to  manhood  almost  within  hearing  of 
the  weekly  services  of  the  sanctuary.  Having  beci  >me 
hopefully  pious,  and  believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
enter  the  Christian  ministry,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  the  classics  at  the  Brandvwine  Academy,  then  under 
the  direction  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Grier. 

After  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Grier  and  the  discon- 
tinuance of  the  Academy,  Mr.  M'Cachran  finished  his 
preparatory  training  at  the  Rev.  Dr.  M'Graw's  Acad- 
emy, in  Cecil  County,  Md.  His  collegiate  course  was 
completed  at  Dickinson  College,  during  the  presi- 
dency of  Dr.  Mason,  and  his  theological  in  the  Semi- 
nary at  Princeton,  N.  J. 

He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Newcastle  in  18'27,  and  having  spent  some 
time  in  supplying  churches  without  a  pastor,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  from  the  congregation  of  Big  Spring, 
now  Newville,  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  and  was  in- 
stalled in  the  Spring  of  1830.  He  remained  in  this 
connection  until  October,  1851,  when  a  chronic  affec- 
tion of  the  chest  compelled  him  to  resign  liis  charge. 

After  his  withdrawal  from  the  active  duties  of  the 
ministry,  Mr.  M'Cachran  resided  in  Newville,  and 
devoted  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the  superintendence 
of  a  classical  school.  The  congregation  at  Newville 
during  his  pastorate  received  many  tokens  of  Divine 
favor.     While   he    had   charge  nearly  live  hundred 


1  !<'»       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

members  were  added  to  the  church,  seventy-three  of 
them  the  fruits  of  a  revival  which  occurred  the  second 
year  of  his  mini-try. 

Mr.M'Cachran  resided  at  Newville without  a  charge 
until  his  death,  February  15,  1885,  having  been  for 
sonic  years  the  oldest  member  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Carlisle,  with  which  he  had  been  connected  upwards 
of  half  a  century.  He  was  the  first  member  of  the 
congregation  who  entered  the  ministry  during  the 
pastorate  of  I  >r.  Grier.* 


REV.   ANDERSON   B.   QUAY. 

Anderson  B.  Quay,  a  native  of  Chester  County,  Pa., 
was  born  in  1802.  He  had  married  and  was  engaged 
in  business  when  a  change  in  his  religious  views  led 
him  to  consider  it  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel.  He, 
therefore,  after  due  preparation  in  the  Academy  at 
Beading,  Pa.,  entered  the  Seminary  at  Princeton  in 
L827,  where  he  remained  until  September,  1829. 

Mr.  Quay  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New- 
castle, October  7.  1829.  ()ii  the  6th  of  April,  1830, 
he  was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle,  and 
passed  the  next  two  years  as  a  probationer,  supplying 
the  united  congregations  of  Monaghan,  now  Dillsburg, 
and  Petersburg,  both  in  York  County,  Pa.  In  the 
Spring  of  1832  lie  was  installed  pastor  of  those 
Churches  by  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle.  His  labors 
;n i ioug  the  people  of  his  charge  continued  with  in- 

*  Dr.  Nevin,  "  Churches  of  the  Valley  ;"  Com.  from  James  M'Cach- 
ran  ;   Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Carlisle;  Local  Memoranda. 


IN  "the  forks  of  bbandywine."  1  1/ 

creasing  benefit  until  t lie  Autumn  of  1839,  when  the 
pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  at  his  request,  and  he 
accepted  an  Agency  from  the  Presbyterian  Hoard  of 
Education. 

In  May,  1840,  he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  Beaver,  Pa.,  continuing  to  act  a 
part  of  the  time  as  Agent  of  the  Board.  His  pastorate 
at  Beaver  lasted  until  February,  1842,  when  lie  re- 
ceived an  appointment  from  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  and  resigned  his  charge.  The  members  of 
the  congregation  parted  with  much  regret  from  the 
pastor  whose  services,  owing  to  their  pecuniary  cir- 
cumstances, they  were  unable  properly  to  recompense. 

Mr.  Quay  held  the  position  of  Agent  of  the  Board 
of  Missions  about  a  year,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to 
Indiana,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  until  1849.  In  the 
last-named  year,  at  the  request  of  the  Colonization  So- 
ciety of  Pennsylvania,  he  became  their  Agent,  and  re- 
tained tlu>  position  until  his  death,  which  took  place  at 
Beaver  in  1856. 

Mr.  Quay  united  with  pleasing  manners  great  firm- 
ness of  purpose  and  warmth  of  feeling.  He  faithfully 
discharged  the  duties  of  pastor  to  the  congregations  in- 
trusted to  his  oversight,  and  labored  diligently  l'<>r  the 
promotion  of  Education,  Foreign  Missions,  and  Afri- 
can Colonization.  His  eldest  son,  Matthew  Stanley 
Quay,  was  recently  the  able  and  popular  Secretary  of 
the  Commonwealth.* 


*  Min.  of  Pres.  of  Newcastle;   Min.  of  Pres.  of  Carlisle;  Kev.  J. 
J.  Scatterfield,  "  Hist,  of  First  Pres.  Church  of  Beaver." 


L48     history  of  tin:   peesuytkriax  cHriM'ii 


REV.   BRITTON   E.   COLLINS. 

Britton  Estol  Collins  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
February  2,  1802.  Having  settled  within  the  bounds 
of  this  congregation,  he  was  brought  to  a  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Saviour,  and  led  to  devote 
himself  to  the  ministry  of  Reconciliation  by  the 
preaching  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier. 

Mr.  Collins  pursued  his  classical  studies  under  the 
direction  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Grier,  and  in  the  Fall 
of  1824  entered  the  Seminary  at  Princeton,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Philadelphia  in  April,  1828,  and  passed  the 
next  two  years  preaching  as  a  probationer. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1830,  Mr.  Collins  was  received 
as  a  licentiate  by  the  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon,  and 
in  June  (16th)  of  the  same  year  was  ordained  as  an 
Evangelist.  He  received  a  call  from  the  church  at 
Millerstown,  Perry  County,  Pa.,  April  4,  1832,  and 
was  installed  in  October  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Collins  resigned  his  charge  at  Millerstown 
April  9,  1839,  and  the  next  October  received  a  call  to 
Shirleysburg,  which  he  declined,  but  consented  to  act 
as  a  stated  supply.  He  remained  at  Shirleysburg  until 
October,  1853,  when  he  retired,  but  continued  to  labor 
as  a  missionary  within  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Huntingdon  until  the  infirmities  of  age  unfitted 
him  for  the  active  duties  of  the  ministry.  At  his 
death,  which  took  place  at  Shirleysburg,  April  12, 
1870,  he  was  the  oldest  member  of  that  Presbytery. 


IX  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  149 

A  faithful  servant  of  the  Master,  after  a  life  of 
usefulness,  with  the  petition  on  his  lips,  "Thy  will  be 
done,"  he  entered  into  rest.* 


REV.   BENJAMIN   M.   NYCE. 

Benjamin  M.  Nyce  was  horn  near  Pughtown, 
Chester  County.  While  lie  was  still  a  minor  his 
father,  John  Nyce,  removed  and  settled  near  Wagon- 
town,  within  the  bounds  of  Dr.  Grier's  charge. 
Having  become  connected  with  the  congregation  wor- 
shipping in  this  place,  Mr.  Nyce  was  finally  led  to 
consider  it  his  duty  to  make  known  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation.  He  passed  some  time  in  the  study  of*  the 
classics  in  the  Brandywine  Academy,  then  under  the 
direction  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Grier,  and  entered  Dick- 
inson College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  September, 
1829. 

He  taught  the  next  three  years  in  the  Deaf  and 
Dumb  Asylum,  Philadelphia,  and  in  the  Autumn  of 
1833  entered  the  Seminary  at  Princeton,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  But  of  his  subsequent  history  the 
writer  after  diligent  inquiry  has  been  unable  to  obtain 
any  reliable  information.  The  probability  is  that  he 
died  shortly  after  completing  his  preparation  for  the 
ministry  .f 

*  "  Hist,  of  Presbytery  of  Huntingdon  ;"  Necrology  of  Princeton 
Seminary;  Presbyterian   Banner, 

|  Records  of  Princeton  Seminary  ;  Records  of  Deaf  and  Dumb 
Asylum  ;  "  Reminiscences  of  Rev.  R.  M'Cachran." 


150       BISTOBY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 


REV.   RICHARD   WALKER. 

Richard,  eldest  son  of  Richard  and  Sarah  (Hen- 
derson) Walker,  was  born  at  Indian  Town,  Wallace 
Township,  May  1,  1812.  He  was  engaged  for  some 
years  in  mechanical  pursuits,  but  finally  relinquished 
them  to  enter  the  Gospel  ministry.  After  due  prepara- 
tion he  was  licensed  by  the  New  School  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia,  and  supplied  for  a  time  the  church  at 
Wonielsdorf,  Berks  County. 

In  April,  1842,  he  was  sent  as  a  supply  to  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  Allentown,  Lehigh  County,  Pa. 
His  ministry  there  was  so  successful  that  in  May,  1844, 
he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  congregation  worship- 
ping in  that  church.  He  remained  in  charge  until 
]S.")'.),  when  bodily  infirmity  compelled  him  to  with- 
draw from  continuous  ministerial  labor. 

He  subsequently  preached  in  different  places  when 
his  health  permitted  until  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Allentown  on  the  10th  of  May, 
1882. 

Mr.  Walker  was  unassuming,  earnest,  and  sincere, 
and  the  members  of  his  charge  parted  with  regret  from 
the  pastor  whose  unremitted  endeavors  to  promote  their 
spiritual  interests  had  rendered  him  incapable  of  any 
but  partial  labor  in  the  Gospel  field.* 

*  Necrology  of  Princeton  Seminary ;  Obituary  Notice,  Graphic ; 
Com.  from  Samuel  Walker. 


IN  "THE  forks  of  brandywine."  151 


REV.   REES  HAPPERSETT,   D.D. 

Dr.  Happersett,  the  youngest  son  of  Melchi  and 
Rebecca  (Graham)  Happersett,  was  born  in  Wesi 
Nantmeal  Township,  Chester  County,  July  31,  1810. 
He  became  the  subject  of  Divine  Grace  during  the 
great  revival  of  1831  in  Dr.  Grier's  congregation,  of 
which  his  parents  had  long  been  members.  His  aca- 
demical studies  were  prosecuted  at  New  London  in  this 
County,  and  his  collegiate  at  Washington  College,  Pa., 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1836.  He  completed  his 
theological  course  in  the  Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J., 
three  years  afterwards,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Newcastle  in  September,  1839. 

Shortly  after  his  licensure,  Dr.  Happersett  became 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Havre  de  Grace, 
Md.,  where  he  remained  about  a  year.  He  then 
entered  the  service  of  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions, 
and  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  was  diligently  en- 
gaged in  increasing  its  means  and  usefulness. 

While  he  was  connected  with  that  Board,  Dr.  Hap- 
persett visited  and  preached  in  many  of  the  Southern 
States.  He  also  supplied,  at  different  times,  the  vacant 
pulpits  of  several  churches  in  Pennsylvania,  among 
others  the  church  at  Waynesburg  (Honey brook) 
upwards  of  six  months. 

Having  observed,  during  his  visits  to  ( Jalifornia,  the 
scarcity  of  laborers  in  the  Gospel  field  of  that  State, 
he  determined  to  aid  the  efforts  which  were  making  to 
unfurl  and  uphold  the  banner  of  Presbyterianism  in 


152       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTEKt  AN    CHURCH 

tin-  settlements  on  the"  Pacific  Slope."  He,  therein  re, 
resigned  his  office  in  the  Board  of  Missions  in  the  Fall 
of  1861,  proceeded  immediately  to  Sun  Francisco, 
and  passed  the  next  six  months  preaching  in  that  city 
and  vicinity. 

In  the  Spring  of  18G2  he  accepted  a  unanimous 
call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Stockton,  Cal  ,  where  he  ministered  with  increasing 
acceptance  and  benefit  until  his  death,  in  September, 
1866. 

The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  Jef- 
ferson College  in  18 56. ::: 


REV.   JUSTUS  UMSTEAD. 

Rev.  Justus  Umstead,  whose  parents  were  members 
of  Dr.  Grier's  congregation,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  Princeton,  New  Jersey. 

He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia 
in  July,  1847,  and  settled  shortly  after  at  South  Bend, 
Inch,  where  he  remained  about  a  year.  He  then 
became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Musca- 
tine, Jowa,  and  after  a  successful  ministry  of  three 
years  removed  to  Keokuk  in  the  same  State.  Mr. 
Umstead  remained  at  Keokuk,  in  the  faithful  discharge 
of  his  pastoral  duties,  until  the  Fall  of  1860,  when  he 

*  Com.  from  the  late  Mrs.  Agnes  Happeraett;  Minutes  of  Pres.  of 
Newcastle;   Minutes  of  Board  of  Domestic  Missions. 


ix  "the  forks  of  brandy  wine."  ir>:; 

accepted  a  call  from  the  church  at  Fagg's  Manor,  I 'a., 
where  he  was  installed  in  November,  1860. 

His  labors  at  Fagg's  Manor  were  not  without  en- 
couragement. In  1865  there  was  an  awakening,  by 
which  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  "were  added  to 
the  Lord." 

In  May,  1872,  the  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved, 
and  he  took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
St.  George's,  Delaware.  He  remained  until  1876, 
when  he  resigned  and  became  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Smyrna  in  the  same  State,  where  he  is  still  engaged 
in  ministerial  work  with  marked  success.* 


REV.   JAMES   G.   RALSTON,   D.D,   LL.D. 

Dr.  Ralston,  widely  known  as  a  successful  educator, 
and  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  was  born  in  Wallace 
Township,  Chester  County.  He  united  at  an  early 
age  with  the  congregation  worshipping  in  this  place, 
and  directed  his  attention  to  a  preparation  for  the 
ministry  of  the  New  Testament.  His  academical 
training  was  obtained  at  New  London  and  Hopewell 
Academies  in  this  County,  and  his  collegiate  at  Wash- 
ington College,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  graduated 
September  26,  1838. 

He  taught  the  next  two  years  after  his  graduation 
in  an  academy  at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  pursuing  at  the 
same  time  the  study  of  Theology  under  the  direction 
of  the  principal  of  the  academy,  the  Rev.  John   \V. 


*  Rev.  W.  B.  Noble,  "  History  of  Fagg's  Manor;"  MSS. 
11 


154      HISTORY   OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Scott,  D.D.  In  June,  1840,  he  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  where  he 
completed  his  studies  for  the  ministry. 

Dr.  Kalston  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New- 
castle, April  14,  1841,  and  accepted  a  mission  to  the 
Winnebago  Indians.  But  his  health  failing  before  he 
reached  his  destination,  he  was  obliged  reluctantly  to 
abandon  the  undertaking.  His  health  having  been  in 
a  measure  restored,  he  preached  for  some  months  as  a 
supply  to  the  Church  at  Florence,  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Washington. 

In  October,  1841,  Dr.  Ralston  entered  on  what 
proved  to  be  the  main  business  of  his  life,  as  principal 
of  the  Female  Seminary  at  Oxford,  Chester  County,  Pa. 
He  remained  at  Oxford  until  the  close  of  October,  1845, 
when  he  opened  the  now  well-known  Oakland  Female 
Institute  at  Norristown,  Montgomery  County,  Pa. 
There  his  industry,  ability,  and  faithfulness  as  an  in- 
structor soon  resulted  in  a  large  and  annually  increas- 
ing patronage.  The  upwards  of  twenty- live  hundred 
ladies  who  have  been  educated  wholly  or  in  part  in 
thai  institution  have  exerted  and  are  exerting  an  in- 
fluence whose  usefulness  can  never  be  fully  estimated. 
At  the  fireside,  in  the  school-room,  and  the  church, 
and  among  the  benighted  of  heathen  lands,  the  results 
of  their  judicious  mental  and  religious  training  must 
be  traced. 

In  addition  to  the  discharge  of  his  onerous  duties 
as  principal  of  a  large  educational  institution,  Dr. 
Ralston  frequently  supplied  the  pulpits  of  churches 
without  a  pastor,  and  assisted  his  clerical  brethren 
during  revivals  and  on  other  occasions.     He  was  also 


IN    "  THE   FORKS    OF    BRANDYWINE."  1  55 

during  the  last  seventeen  years  of  Iris  life  an  efficient 
member  of  the  Board  of  Publication  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by 
Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pa.,  in  1865,  and  of  D.D. 
by  his  Alma  Mater  two  years  afterwards. 

Dr.  Ralston  died  November  10,  1880,  in  the  sixty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age.* 


REV.   WILLIAM   PINKERTON. 

William  Pinkerton,  an  elder  brother  of  the  Rev. 
John  Pinkerton,  was  born  in  October,  1809.  Having 
been  hopefully  converted  during  the  great  refreshing 
from  on  High  in  1831,  he  resolved  to  dedicate  himself 
to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 

His  preparatory  studies  were  pursued  at  New  London 
Academy,  Chester  County,  and  his  collegiate  at  Wash- 
ington College,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  September,  1836.  His  theological  course  was  com- 
pleted at  Princeton  in  1839.  On  the  10th  of  the  next 
September  he  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New- 
castle, and  settled  shortly  afterwards  as  Pastor  of  the 
Cove  Church,  Albemarle  County,  Va.  He  also  min- 
istered to  the  High  Bridge  Church,  Rockbridge  County, 
Va.,  and  to  Collierstown  Church  in  the  same  county. 

During  the  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life  he  had 


Futhey,  "  Hist,  of  Chester  County  ;"  Coin,  from  John  K.  Ralston. 


L56       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

the  pastoral  oversight  of  Mount  Carmel  Church, 
Augusta  County,  Va. 

Mr.  Pinkerton  was  a  diligent  worker  in  the  Master's 
vineyard.  Uniting  a  ready  command  of  language 
with  fervid  piety,  his  services  in  the  Sanctuary  were 
largely  attended  and  blessed  by  the  conversion  of 
many. 

Besides  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  to  the 
congregations  committed  to  his  care,  he  established 
and  conducted  a  classical  school,  and  also  successfully 
labored  in  the  revival  of  churches  which  had  either 
grown  feeble  or  been  partially  abandoned.  Among 
these  was  Mountain  Plain,  where,  more  than  a  hundred 
years  before,  Mr.  Black,  the  first  pastor  of  Brandy- 
wine  Manor  Church,  had  spent  the  last  years  of  his 
ministry. 

Mr.  Pinkerton  died  March  13,  1875.* 


REV.   WILLIAM   H.   TEMPLETON. 

William  II.  Templeton,  eldest  son  of  John  Temple- 
ton,  Esq.,  who  was  upwards  of  thirty  years  a  Ruling 
Elder  of  this  church,  commenced  his  academical  studies 
at  New  London,  Chester  County,  in  1841.  He  entered 
Washington  College,  Pennsylvania,  in  November, 
1843,  and  was  graduated  in  184-").  He  passed  the  next 
two  years  teaching,  and  then  became  a  member  of  the 

*  Futhey,  "  History  of  Upper  Oct.  Church  ;"  Coin,  from  Frank  D. 
Pinkerton  ;  MSS. 


IN    "  THE    FORKS    OF    BIIANDYWINE."  157 

seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  where  his  tlieo- 
logical  course  was  completed. 

Mr.  Templeton  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick  in  September  1850,  and  the  next 
October  went  as  a  missionary  to  the  Creek  Indians, 
Indian  Territory.  He  remained  in  that  Territory 
until  1857,  when  the  death  of  his  wife  and  his  impaired 
health  caused  him  to  return  to  Pennsylvania. 

Being  unable  to  endure  the  labor  to  which  he  had 
been  subjected,  Mr.  Templeton  withdrew  from  the 
missionary  field  ;  but  in  1858  settled  in  Illinois,  where 
he  is  still  engaged  in  ministerial  labor.* 


REV.   JOHN   PINKERTON. 

John  Pinkerton,  third  son  of  John  W.  and  Agnes 
Pinkerton,  was  born  near  Sadsburyville,  Chester 
County,  Pa,,  in  November,  1811.  When  he  was 
about  six  years  of  age  his  parents,  who  were  members 
of  the  Upper  Octoraro  Presbyterian  Church,  removed 
to  Honeybrook  Township,  and  connected  themselves 
with  the  congregation  worshipping  in  this  place. 

Mr.  Pinkerton  passed  his  early  years,  like  many 
young  men,  without  any  serious  thoughts  on  the 
subject  of  religion  until  1831,  when  he  was  awakened 
to  a  sense  of  his  lost  condition  during  the  remarkable 
revival  which  commenced  in  that  year.  His  convic- 
tions were  deep  and  pungent,  and  he  was  so  weighed 
down   by  the  burden   of  sin   that  his  health  became 


*  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick;  Coin,  from  the  late 
J.  G.  Templeton ;  MS.  Collections. 


158       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

impaired.  But  obeying  the  Saviour's  command,  "Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,"  he 
found  pardon  and 'peace. 

Having  determined  to  obtain  a  classical  education, 
Mr.  Pinkerton  entered  the  Academy  at  Lewisburg, 
Union  County,  Pa.,  May  15, 1837.  He  completed  his 
preparatory  studies  in  it  and  the  Academy  at  Mifflin- 
burg  in  the  same  county  at  the  close  of  1841,  and  was 
graduated  at  the  ( lollegeof  New  Jersey  in  1843.  After 
the  usual  Theological  Course  at  Princeton,  lie  taught 
some  time  in  a  classical  school  which  his  brother,  the 
Rev.  William  Pinkerton,  had  established. 

The  Presbytery  of  Greenbrier  licensed  him  to 
preach  the  (Jospel  in  October,  1849.  He  assisted  the 
Rev.  Samuel  R.  Houston,  of  Mouroe  County,  Va., 
in  teaching  and  ministerial  labor  until  October,  1853, 
when  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  congregation  of 
Mossy  Creek  Presbyterian  Church,  Augusta  County, 
Va.  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  ordained  and  installed  No- 
vember 5,  1853,  and  this  relation  continued  until  his 
death,  May  31,  1871,  left  the  people  of  his  charge  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  their  zealous,  beloved,  and  faithful 
pastor. 

The  possessor  of  abilities  and  acquirements  which 
would  have  enabled  him  to  attain  eminence  in  almost 
any  department  of  literature,  Mr.  Pinkerton  devoted 
the  talents  committed  to  his  care  to  the  service  of  his 
Divine  Master,  and  instead  of  earthly  honors,  chose 
rather  to  be  an  humble  disciple  of  Him  "  who  went 
about  doing  good."* 

*  Memorial  by  Rev.  William  T.  Price ;  Records  of  Lewisburg 
Academy ;  Personal  Reminiscences. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandy  wine."  159 


COATESVILLE  PRESBYTERIAN  CliriK'll. 


Coatesville,  though  settled  at  an  early  period, 
remained  without  a  house  for  public  worship  until 
1831.  In  that  year  the  members  of  Baptist,  Episco- 
pal, Friends',  Methodist,  and  Presbyterian  Churches 
residing  in  and  near  the  village,  with  a  Christian  har- 
mony worthy  of  record,  uniting  their  efforts  and  means, 
built  a  meeting-house. 

Among  those  who  occupied  its  pulpit,  on  the  part  of 
the  Presbyterians,  when  his  other  duties  permitted,  was 
the  Rev.  A.  G.  Morrisson,  pastor  of  the  congregations 
of  Doe  Run  and  Union.  His  services  were  so  accept- 
able, and  the  number  of  his  hearers  increased  so  much, 
that  in  1833  a  petition  was  {presented  to  Presbytery  for 
the  organization  of  a  Church  at  Coatesville.  The  re- 
quest was  not  granted,  but  being  renewed  at  the  next 
meeting  of  Presbytery,  it  was  favorably  received  and 
a  Committee  appointed,  which  met  in  September 
(4th),  1833,  and  organized  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Coatesville. 

The  congregation,  which  had  been  gathered  princi- 
pally by  the  care  and  faithfulness  of  Mr.  Morrisson,  in 
March  of  the  next  year  presented  a  call  for  one-half 
of  his  time.  This  he  accepted,  and  having  obtained  a 
release  from  the  pastorate  of  the  Union  Church,  was 
installed  on  the  24th  of  April,  1834. 

Under  his  ministry  the  number  of  members  became 


160       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

so  large  that  they  found  it  necessary  to  have  a  meet- 
ing-house of  their  own.  They  therefore  obtained  the 
interest  in  the  building  and  lot  of  those  who  had 
contributed  WuuU  for  the  purpose.* 

Having  increased  facilities  for  public  worship,  the 
congregation  became  sufficiently  numerous  to  sustain 
weekly  services  in  the  sanctuary,  and  a  call  was  ac- 
cordingly presented  to  Presbytery  on  the  14th  of  April, 
L857,  for  the  whole  of  Mr.  Morrisson's  time.  The  re- 
quest was  granted,  his  relation  at  Doe  Run  dissolved, 
and  he  devoted  the  whole  of  his  labor  to  the  church  at 
Coatesville. 

How  faithfully  he  performed  the  duties  of  an  "am- 
bassador for  Christ"  is  shown  by  the  increasing  mem- 
bership of  the  church,  the  nourishing  condition  of  its 
Sunday-School,  its  liberal  contributions  for  benevolent 
purposes,  and  the  warm  affection  which  existed  between 
the  pastor  and  his  people. 

But  "the  prophets  do  not  live  forever,"  and,  in 
1868,  the  infirmities  of  nearly  threescore  and  ten 
caused  Mr.  Morrisson  to  offer  his  resignation.  The 
members  of  his  Hock,  however,  could  not  endure  the 
thought  of  parting  with  the  pastor  who  had  been  con- 
nected with  the  church  from  its  beginning,  and  who, 
for  a  third  of  a  century,  had  been  to  many  of  them  a 
guide  and  counsellor,  a  "  more  than  friend."  They 
therefore  generously  resolved  to  provide  a  colleague 
and  to  continue  to  pay  Mr.  Morrisson  a  portion  of  his 
salary  during  his  life. 

*  They  occupied  this  building  until  1849,  when  it  was  replaced  by 
a  new  church  edifice,  and  this,  in  1867,  was  enlarged  to  its  present 

size. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."      161 

Iii  accordance  with  this  resolution,  the  congregation 
gave  a  call  in  January  (15th),  1868,  to  the  present 
pastor,  the  Rev.  James  Roberts,  who  was  ordained 
and  installed  May  28,  1868.  The  relation  thus  es- 
tablished between  the  aged  servant  of  God  and  his 
younger  brother  continued  "  harmoniously  and  pleas- 
antly" until  the  death  of  Mr.  Morrisson,  October  27, 
1870. 

Dr.  Roberts,  who  is  a  native  of  Montrose,  Scotland, 
received  his  classical  education  at  Media,  Delaware 
County,  Pa.,  where  he  passed  some  time  as  an  in- 
structor. He  was  graduated  at  Lafayette  College, 
Easton,  Pa.,  in  July,  1865,  and  at  the  Theological 
Seminary,  Princeton,  N.  J.,  a  few  weeks  before  his 
installation  at  Coatesville. 

During  his  pastorate  the  membership  of  the  church, 
now  upwards  of  three  hundred,  has  annually  in- 
creased. The  Sunday-School,  which  was  conducted 
many  years  by  the  same  Superintendent,  continues  to 
flourish,  and  in  numbers,  influence,  and  liberality  the 
Presbyterians,  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Roberts,  are 
the  leading  denomination  in  that  borough. 

Dr.  Roberts,  who  is  equally  and  deservedly  es- 
teemed by  his  clerical  brethren  and  the  people  of  bis 
charge,  was  sent  as  a  Commissioner  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  1872,  and  also  in  1877.  Since  April, 
1869,  he  has  been  the  stated  clerk  of  Presbytery,  and 
in  1883  received  the  honorary  degree  of  D.D.  from 
Lafayette  College,  Pennsylvania. 

A  centre  of  manufacturing  industry,  and  situated 
on  one  of  the  great  thoroughfares  of  trade,  Coatesville 
must  necessarily  increase  in  wealth  and  population. 


1G2       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

But  from  the  nature  of  their  occupations  many  of  its 
inhabitants  will  be  only  transient  residents.  With- 
drawn from  the  kindly  influence  of  home,  exposed  to 
numerous  temptations,  and  often  suddenly  deprived  of 
employment  by  the  vicissitudes  of  business,  they,  above 
most  others,  will  always  need  the  restraining,  consoling, 
and  saving  influence  of  the  Gospel.  It  is,  therefore,  a 
cause  for  thankfulness  that,  in  Coatesville,  the  oppor- 
tunities to  hear  the  words  of  truth  have  kept  pace 
with  the  growth  of  the  population.  Where,  in  1830, 
there  was  not  a  single  building  set  apart  for  public 
worship,  the  voice  of  prayer,  admonition,  and  praise 
may  now  be  heard,  on  every  returning  Sabbath,  in 
six  meeting-houses  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the 
Triune  God.* 


*  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Newcastle ;  Dr.  Roberts,  "  Pastoral  of 
Coatesville  Pies.  Church." 


IN  "the  fokks  of  brandywine."         163 


HONEYBROOK  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


When  Dr.  Grier's  congregation  had  become  so 
large  that  it  was  necessary  for  a  portion  to  withdraw, 
those  residing  near  the  western  boundary  of  his  charge 
obtained  a  site  in  the  village  of  Honeybrook,  erected 
a  house  for  public  worship,  and  having  received 
permission  from  the  Presbytery,  were  organized  as 
the  Honeybrook  Presbyterian  Church,  November  28, 
1835. 

They  were  dependent  on  supplies  until  May,  1837, 
when  the  Rev.  William  W.  Latta,  who  had  been 
given  a  unanimous  call  to  become  their  pastor,  was 
ordained  and  installed.  Mr.  Latta  remained,  with 
increasing  popularity  and  usefulness,  until  the  Fall 
of  1858,  when  failing  health  caused  him  to  obtain  a 
release  from  his  charge. 

Unassuming,  kind,  and  faithful,  Mr.  Latta  was 
much  beloved  by  the  members  of  the  congregation, 
and  they  parted  with  regret  from  the  pastor  under 
whose  guidance  many  of  them  had  found  "joy  and 
peace  in  believing." 

Mr.  Latta  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  John  G. 
Thorn,  who  was  installed  May  19,  1859.  Mr.  Thorn, 
like  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  "was  in  labors 
abundant."  Besides  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  he 
preached  and  conducted  weekly  prayer-meetings  in 
different  parts  of  his  charge,  and  was  active  in  the 


l<il       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

furtherance  of  Sunday-Schools  and  temperance.  He 
also  aided  his  fellow-citizens  by  his  counsel  and  ex- 
ample during  (lie  struggle  to  maintain  the  Union. 

Having  declined  several  invitations  to  take  the  over- 
si-hi  of  congregations  without  a  pastor,  Mr.  Thorn  at 
last  accepted  a  call  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  was  in- 
stalled in  October,  18(35.  But  he  had  scarcely  entered 
on  his  field  of  labor  when,  enfeebled  by  his  previous 
discharge  of  pastoral  duties,  he  sunk  under  an  attack 
dt'  typhoid  fever  and  entered  into  rest. 

The  successor  of  Mr.  Thorn  was  the  Rev.  J.  H. 
Young',  who  became  pastor  in  1866,  and  remained 
until  March  7,  1869,  when  the  pastoral  relation  was 
dissolved  by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal. 

Mr.  Young  is  a  ready  speaker,  a  sound  theologian, 
and  a  good  classical  scholar.  He  is  now  professor  of 
Language-  in  the  Normal  School  in  Indiana,  Pa. 

The  congregation  next  presented  a  unanimous  call 
to  the  Rev.  William  Ferguson,  of  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
which  he  accepted,  and  was  installed  in  October,  18G9. 

In  the  Fall  of  1871,  Mr.  Ferguson  was  released  at 
his  own  request  by  the  Presbytery  of  Chester.  The 
ministry  of  Mr.  Ferguson  was  not  without  its  fruits, 
eighty-six  having  been  added  to  the  church  while  he 
had  charge. 

He  is  now  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
1'ittsgrove,  N.  J.,  where  his  labors  have  met  with  en- 
couraging success. 

In  June,  1872,  the  congregation  gave  a  unanimous 
call  to  the  Rev.  William  W.  Totheroth,  who  was  in- 
stalled by  a,  Committee  of  the  Presbytery  of  Chester 
on  the  last  day  of  October,   1872.      In    1883,  Mr. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWIXE."      165 

Totlieroth  received  and  accepted  a  call  to  become 
pastor  of  a  Church  at  Le  Roy,  N.  Y. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Totlieroth  was  eminently  bene- 
ficial. His  zeal,  prudence,  and  industry  promoted 
harmony,  increased  the  membership  of  the  church, 
and  imparted  renewed  activity  to  its  benevolent  opera- 
tions. 

In  the  amount  of  its  donations  for  charitable  pur- 
poses, the  number  of  its  members,  and  of  children  at- 
tending its  Sabbath-Schools,  this  church  ranks  among 
the  first  of  the  rural  Presbyterian  Churches  in  our 
State.  It  has  contributed  to  the  growth  of  the  village 
in  which  its  meeting-house  is  placed,  and,  like  ortho- 
dox churches  in  general,  is  a  nucleus  around  which  en- 
terprise, refinement,  and  intelligence  have  clustered.* 

*  Minutes  of  Presbytery  of  Donegal ;  Rev.  Mr.  Totheroth,  "  Hist, 
of  Church  ;"  Local  Memoranda. 


1 66      HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 


FAIRVIEW  PliKSliYTEMAX  CHURCH. 


On  account  of  the  distance  which  they  had  to  travel 
in  order  to  attend  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
for  other  reasons  which  need  not  be  stated,  the  mem- 
bers  of  Dr.  Grier's  congregation  who  resided  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  Ids  charge  resolved  to  erect  a 
building  for  public  worship  and  obtain  a  distinct 
organization.  Accordingly,  having  procured  an  ele- 
vated and  beautiful  site,  easy  of  access,  and  convenient, 
they  commenced  in  1839  the  erection  of  a  meeting- 
house, which  was  completed  and  dedicated  on  the  first 
day  of  the  next  year. 

In  May,  1840,  a  Committee  of  the  Third  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia  met  and  organized  a  church  under  the 
name  of  the  West  Nantmeal  Presbyterian  Church.* 

The  same  month  (May,  1840)  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Porter,  who  had  received  his  classical  and  theological 
education  in  the  College  and  Seminary  at  Princeton, 
N.  J.,  was  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor.  Mr. 
Porter  was  released  from  his  charge  in  May,  1843. 
During  his  pastorate  forty-three  were  added  to  the 
membership  of  the  church. 

Mr.  Porter  was  succeeded,  in  October,  1843,  by  the 
Rev.  William  H.  McCarter,  a  graduate  of  Jefferson 


*  The  name  of  the  Township  in  which  it  is  situated  having  been 
changed,  it  is  now  called  Fairview  Presbyterian  ( 'lunch. 


IN  "  THE  FOKKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."       167 

College,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Union  Theological  Sem- 
inary, New  York.  Mr.  McCarter  labored  with  fidelity 
and  acceptance  until  October,  1849,  when  he  received 
a  call  to  the  pastoral  oversight  of  a  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Edwardsville,  Indiana,  and  removed  to  that  State. 

The  successor  of  Mr.  McCarter  was  the  Rev.  B.  B. 
Hotchkin,  late  pastor  of  Marple  Presbyterian  Church, 
Delaware  County.  While  Dr.  Hotchkin,  who  is  well 
known  as  an  author  and  an  earnest,  impressive  speaker, 
had  charge  the  church  was  highly  prosperous.  In 
June,  1859,  Dr.  Hotchkin,  always  desirous  of  enlarging 
his  sphere  of  usefulness,  accepted  a  call  to  his  late  pas- 
torate, where  his  ministrations  were  greatly  blessed. :|: 

The  next  year  the  church  was  dependent  on  supplies, 
but  in  October,  1860,  the  Rev.  D.  C.  Meeker  became 
pastor.  Mr.  Meeker,  who  received  his  collegiate  train- 
ing in  the  University  of  New  York,  and  his  theologi- 
cal at  Union  Seminary  in  New  York  State,  remained 
until  October,  1868,  when  he  was  called  to  labor  in 
another  part  of  the  Master's  vineyard.  His  relations 
with  the  members  of  his  flock  were  harmonious  and 
pleasant,  and  they  parted  with  regret  from  their  faith- 
ful shepherd. 

After  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Meeker,  the  congrega- 
tion obtained  the  services  of  the  Rev.  A.  Nelson  Hol- 
lifield,  who  discharged  his  pastoral  duties  with  much 
ability  until  the  close  of  1875,  when  he  accepted  a 
unanimous  call  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Hunt- 
ingdon, Pa.,  where  he  was  installed  in  January,  1S7<'>. 

*  Dr.  Hotchkin  died  October  13,  1878,  in  the  seventy-second  year 
of  his  as:e. 


L68       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

During  his  ministry  one  hundred  and  thirty-three 
were  added  to  the  membership  of  the  church,  and  the 

meeting-house,  which  had  become  much  impaired,  was 
replaced  by  a  large  and  commodious  structure,  at  a 
cosl  of  thirteen  thousand  dollars. 

In  May,  1870,  the  Rev.  William  Boyd,  who  was 
graduated  with  honor  at  the  University  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  completed  his  theological  course  in  the  Semi- 
nars- at  Princeton,  was  installed.  Young,  ardent,  and 
gifted,  Mr.  Boyd  soon  won  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity, and  his  field  of  usefulness  rapidly  increased.* 

Besides  a  well-attended  Sunday-School,  conducted 
in  the  church  building,  another  is  maintained  during 
the  summer  season  in  an  outlying  portion  of  the  con- 
gregation, a  short  distance  from  Long's  Corner,  where 
there  is  also  stated  preaching  every  month. 

Surrounded  by  a  rural  but  thrifty  and  intelligent 
population,  with  a  new  church  edifice,  a  parsonage,  and 
a  beautiful  cemetery,  all  without  incumbrance,  Fair- 
view  Church  cannot  fail  to  increase  in  numbers  and 
usefulness,  nor  cease  to  diffuse  the  blessings  of  order, 
temperance,  and  piety .f 


*  In  March,  1883,  Mr.  Boyd,  much  to  the  regret  of  his  congrega- 
tion, received  and  accepted  a  call  to  become  pastor  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Camden,  N.  J.  He  was  succeeded  in  September 
of  the  same  year  by  the  Rev.  William  P.  Breed,  Jr.,  a  son  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Breed  of  the  West  Spruce  Street  Church,  Philadelphia. 

j-  "  History  of  Fairview  Church,"  by  Rev.  W.  Boyd  ;  Local  Mem- 
oranda. 


IX    "the   forks   of  BRANDYWIN'K."  169 


CENTRAL  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  DOWN- 
[NGTOWN,  PA. 


Dowingtown,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Chester 
County,  was  settled  by  members  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  who  had  emigrated  from  Wales.  The  site 
was  well  chosen,  being  near  to  the  "Indian  Trail" 
leading  from  the  Delaware  to  the  Susquehanna,  and 
in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  and  fertile  valley.  Besides, 
it  was  supplied  by  one  of  the  main  branches  of  the 
Brandywine  with  abundance  of  water-power,  so  im- 
portant in  a  new  settlement. 

Possessing  these  advantages,  it  might  have  been  sup- 
posed that  the  growth  of  Downingtown  would  be  rapid, 
and  that,  like  Lancaster,  Reading,  and  other  inland 
towns,  it  would,  ere  long,  rise  to  the  dignity  of  a  city. 
But  its  inhabitants,  satisfied  with  their  possessions  and 
pursuits,  not  only  advanced  slowly  in  the  march  of 
improvement,  but  even  rejected  proffered  sources  of 
wealth  and  importance;  among  others  a  proposition 
to  make  their  village  the  seat  of  justice  when  Chester 
County  was  divided. 

There  was  consequently  little  opportunity  or  induce- 
ment for  the  active  and  enterprising  Scotch  and 
Scotch-Irish  to  make  it  their  home  and  establish  the 
church  of  their  fathers.  It  should,  therefore,  not  ex- 
cite surprise   that    near  a   century  and  a    half   passed 

L2 


L70       HISTORY    OF    TIIK    PUESllYTKIUAN    »  III  1M  II 


utter  the  first  settlement  of  Downingtown  before  a 
Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  within  its  limits. 

In  1S43  some  God-fearing  men.  whom  the  activity 
ami  business  introduced  bythe  Pennsylvania  Railroad, 
and  the  spirit  of  enterprise  in  general,  had  caused  to 
settle  at  Downingtown.  adopted  measures  leading  to 
the  establishment  of  a  Presbyterian  Church.  Neigh- 
boring clergymen  of  that  denomination  were  invited 
to  preach,  and  religious  services  were  held  at  private 
residences  and  in  school-houses  and  halls  obtained  for 
the  purpose.  Their  number  increased  slowly,  but  in 
1860  they  felt  sufficiently  encouraged  to  undertake 
the  building  of  a  church  edifice.  Accordingly,  they 
obtained  a  lot  and  erected  a  meeting-house. 

Owing,  however,  to  causes  which  it  would  be  neither 
beneficial  nor  perhaps  possible  to  trace,  dissensions 
arose,  many  withdrew  from  the  church,  pecuniary 
difficulties  increased,  and  the  building  was  finally  sold 
and  occupied  for  secular  purposes. 

But  the  Christian  men  and  women  who  were  at- 
tached to  the  doctrines  and  government  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  did  not  despair.  Believing  that  the 
Most  High  would  cause  Light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
they  faithfully  and  prayerfully  continued  the  good 
work,  and  in  October,  1861,  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church  of  Downing- 
town organized  by  a  Committee  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Newcastle. 

The  congregation  was  dependent  for  some  time  on 
supplies,  but  in  1862  extended  a  call  to  the  Rev.  Mat- 
thew Newkirk,  who  was  ordained  and  installed  April 
24.  L862. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANBYWINE."      171 

Under  his  faithful  oversight  the  membership  of  the 
church  increased  so  much  that  it  was  determined  to 
erect  a  house  for  public  worship.  The  building  was 
commenced  in  June,  1863,  but,  owing  to  unforeseen 
causes  of  delay,  it  was  not  completed  and  dedicated 
until  August,  1804. 

Mr.  Newkirk,  who  considered  no  labor  too  humble 
or  too  severe  provided  it  furthered  the  interests  of  his 
people,  remained  until  1868,  when  he  became  pastor 
of  a  church  in  Philadelphia.* 

Mr.  Newkirk  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  John  Rae, 
a  licentiate  of  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  at 
Alleghany,  Pa.  Mr.  Rae  continued  in  charge  until 
April,  1872,  when  he  obtained  his  release  and  went 
as  a  missionary  to  Washington  Territory. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Rae,  though  short,  was  not 
without  its  beneficial  results.  While  he  occupied  the 
pulpit  fifty  united  with  the  church,  several  of  them  in 
the  morning  of  life. 

The  present  pastor,  the  Rev.  Francis  J.  (oilier,  a 
graduate  of  Jefferson  College,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  and 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  succeeded 
Mr.  Rae,  and  was  installed  October  7,  1872. 

Mr.  Collier  is  a  ready  speaker,  and  his  expositions 
of  Divine  truth  are  well  calculated  to  arouse  the  con- 
science and  impress  the  heart.  Since  his  connection 
with  the  church  its  membership  has  continually  in- 
creased.    Seasons    of   awakening   have   occurred,    in 


*  Mr.  Newkirk  has  recently  resigned  the  pastorate  of  Bethlehem 
Presbyterian  Church,  corner  of  Broud  and  Diamond  Streets,  Phila- 
delphia. 


172       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

which  many  "  have  been  born  again."  The  well-con- 
ducted Sunday-School  is  becoming  more  and  more 
efficient,  and  both  the  pastor  and  his  people  are  earn- 
estly engaged  in  extending  the  blessed  influence  of 
the  Gospel  of  Him  at  whose  advent  was  proclaimed 
peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men.* 

*  "  History  of  the  Church,"  by  the  present  pastor  ;  Minutes  of  Pres- 
bytery ;  Local  Memoranda. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."      173 


ACADEMIES. 


BRANDYWINE   ACADEMY. 

A  school  was  opened  for  instruction  in  the  classics 
and  the  higher  branches  of  science  about  1792  in  a 
part  of  the  building,  which  stood  until  18G3,  imme- 
diately West  of  the  Upper  Graveyard. 

This  school,  which  was  a  necessary  adjunct  to  the 
Theological  School,  was  placed  at  first  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Rev.  Mr.  McPherson,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  was  subsequently  deposed  from  the  ministry 
on  account  of  intemperance  and  died  in  the  Chester 
County  poor-house. 

After  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  McPherson,  Mr.  Mat- 
thew G.  Wallace,  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey  in  1795,  became  principal.  He  remained, 
pursuing  at  the  same  time  his  studies  in  theology 
under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Nathan  Grier  until 
his  licensure,  in  1799,  when  the  school  was  closed. 

In  1802  it  was  reopened  by  Mr.  John  Ralston,  of 
Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  also  a  theological  student. 
He  died  in  the  fall  of  1804,  and  Dr.  John  F.  Grier, 
who  in  the  spring  of  that  year  had  opened  a  classic;!  1 
school  in  Pequea,  took  charge  of  it.  He  discharged 
the  duties  of  principal  with  much  ability  until  his 
settlement  at  Reading,  in  1809,  when  the  school  was 


174       HISTORY    OF    TIIK    I'KKSBYTKUI  A  \    (  II11M  II 

suspended.  It  was  subsequently  conducted  about 
three  years  by  the  Rev.  John  W.  Grier,  who  resigned 
in  March  or  April,  1822,  and  removed  to  the  Chester 
County  Academy.  After  the  retirement  of  .Mr.  Grier 
the  school  was  finally  closed. 

At  this  Academy,  which  was  the  first  institution  of 
a  higher  grade  than  a  common  school  opened  in  this 
)>art  of  Chester  County,  the  Rev.  Drs.  D.  Elliott,  J. 
F.  ( Jrier,  J.  N.  C.  Grier,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Hood, 
Kennedy,  J.  II.  Grier,  J.  W.  Grier,  R.  S.  Grier,  .1. 
Buchanan,  J.  E.  Grier,  M.D.,  Matthew  Grier,  M.D., 
Benjamin  Griffith,  M.D.,  and  the  Hon.  David  Potts 
received  the  whole  of  their  preparatory  training  in 
the  classical  languages  and  English  Literature. 

The  Rev.  Messrs.  A.  G.  Morrison,  Robert  M'Cach- 
ran,  and  Benjamin  M.  Nyce  also  passed  some  time 
in  studying  the  Greek  and  Roman  Classics  at  this 
I  ostitution. 

So  far  as  is  known  this  Academy  was  well  con- 
ducted, and  its  pupils  exerted  a  wide-spread,  bene- 
ficial influence.* 


HOWARD   ACADEMY. 

This  Institution  was  opened  for  the  reception  of 
pupils  November  13,  1848,  in  the  village  of  Rock- 
ville.  It  was  under  the  direction  of  Elder  John 
Ralston  and  his  brother  James,  as  proprietors,  and  a 
graduate  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,   who  had 


*"  Reminiscences  of  Rev.  Dr.  Grier  ;"  Com.  from  Rev.  R.  McCach- 
ran;  MSS. 


IN  "the  forks  of  beandywine."         175 

spent  several  years  in  teaching,  as  principal.  At 
first  this  school  was  regarded  by  many  as  a  doubtful 
experiment.  But  it  soon  became  favorably  known, 
and  attracted  pupils  from  every  part,  not  only  of 
Chester  County,  but  also  from  the  cities  of  Lancaster, 
Reading,  and  Philadelphia. 

The  instruction  was  thorough,  and  the  course  of 
study  embraced  all  that  is  required  for  admission  to 
our  best  colleges  or  for  an  entrance  on  the  study  of 
any  of  the  learned  professions. 

With  the  exception  of  three  months,  when  his 
place  was  supplied  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ogden,  of 
Easton,  it  continued  with  increasing  patronage  and 
usefulness  under  the  superintendence  of  the  firsl 
Principal,  until  September,  1855,  when,  having  ac- 
cepted a  professorship  in  one  of  our  large  cities,  he 
resigned. 

After  his  withdrawal  a  select  school  was  kept  in 
the  building  by  Miss  Louisa  Ralston,  of  Honeybrook. 
It  was  subsequently  conducted  as  an  academy  by  Mr. 
Watson,  of  Milton,  Pa.,  who  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland,  a  native  of  Scotland,  noted  for 
his  superior  classical  attainments  and  his  accurate 
acquaintance  with  history.  But  owing  to  the  institu- 
tion having  been  several  times  discontinued  and  to 
other  causes  which  it  is  neither  important  nor  perhaps 
possible  to  trace,  its  popularity  declined,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  it  was  finally  closed* 

In  addition  to  upwards  of  thirty  who  have  been 
successful  as  teachers  and  others  who  engaged  with 

*  See  Appendix  L. 


/<> 


BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


advantage  in  agricultural,  mechanical,  or  mercantile 
pursuits,  the  following  members  of  the  learned  profes- 
sions received  a  pari  or  the  whole  of  their  preparatory 
training  in  this  A.cademy  : 


REV.    JOHN    C.    THOMPSON. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  graduated  at  Lafayette  College 
in  1855,  completed  his  theological  course  at  Princeton 
in  L858,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New- 
castle  in  the  Spring  of  the  following  year. 

Shortly  after  his  licensure  he  accepted  an  invitation 
to  supply  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  and  resided  in  that  city  until  the  Rebellion 
forced  him  to  withdraw.  He  then  settled  as  pastor  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Smyrna,  Del.,  but  in  1864 
took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Pottstown, 
Montgomery  County,  Pa.  He  remained  there,  ear- 
nestly and  faithfully  discharging  the  duties  of  his 
charge,  until  1873?  when  he  accepted  a  call  from  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Hagerstown,  Md.  During 
his  pastorate  the  church  edifice  was  replaced  by  ;i 
beautiful  and  commodious  structure,  and  his  ministra- 
tions there  as  elsewhere  were  greatly  blessed. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1879,  Mr.  Thompson  took 
charge  of  the  Southwark  Presbyterian  Church,  Phila- 
delphia. In  dune,  1880,  he  was  called  to  the  South 
Broad  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  1885,  by  a 
union  of  Broad  Street  Church  with  the  Scotch  Pres- 
byterian Church,  became  pastor  of  the  united  church, 
which  is  rapidly  increasing  its  membership  and  means 
of  doing  good. 


IN  "the  forks  of  braxdywink."  177 


REV.    DAVID    W.    MOORE. 

Mr.  Moore  received  his  diploma  from  the  ( Jollege  of 
New  Jersey  in  1858,  and  was  graduated  at  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  that  place  in  April,  1861.  On  the 
5th  of  the  succeeding  May  he  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled pastor  of*  the  Lower  Brandy  wine  Presbyterian 
Church,  Delaware.  While  he  had  charge  of  that 
church  Mr.  Moore  passed  some  months  as  a  chaplain 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  then  lying  near  Pe- 
tersburg, Ya.  The  pastoral  relation  was  dissolved  at 
his  request  in  October,  1872,  and  he  resided  in  the 
Southwestern  States,  chiefly  in  Mississippi,  until  Oc- 
tober, 1873,  when  he  accepted  a  unanimous  call  to 
become  the  pastor  of  the  congregation  at  McVeytown, 
Mifflin  County,  Pa.  In  1883  he  resigned  and  became 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Kennett  Square, 
Chester  County,  where  he  is  laboring  with  great 
success. 

Mr.  Moore  has  always  taken  a  warm  interest  in 
education,  and  his  plain,  practical  discourses  prove 
him  to  be  an  earnest  and  faithful  disciple  of  his  Di- 
vine Master. 

REV.    THOMAS    M.    GRIFFITH. 

Mr.  Griffith  entered  Dickinson  College  in  the 
Autumn  of  1854,  and  received  the  degree  of  A.  1 1, 
four  year.-  later3  standing  the  second  in  his  class.  He 
passed  the  next  winter  as  a  teacher  at  Chester,  Pa., 
and  in  the  Spring  of  1859  was  licensed  to  preach  the 
Gospel  by  the  Philadelphia  Conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 


L78       EISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTEHIAN    Mliiail 

Since  his  licensure  Mr.  Griffith  has  been  engaged 
in  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  sacred 
(.nice  with  the  exception  of  a  part  of  one  year,  which 
he  spent  travelling  through  Europe,  Egypt,  and  the 
Holy  Land.  He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  pastors 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  daily  in- 
creasing his  reputation  and  usefulness. 

REV.    JOHN    A.    LIGGETT,  D.D. 

Dr.  John  A.  Liggett,  a  son  of  the  late  Elder  Caleb 
Liggett,  entered  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  in  IS-",:;, 
and  was  graduated  in  1857.  His  theological  studies 
were  completed  in  the  Seminary  at  Danville,  Ken- 
tucky. 

In'  1801  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Presbyterian 
( Jhurch  at  Crittenden,  Ky.,  where  he  remained  until 
1 864,  when  he  became  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Rahway,  N.  J. 

Since  his  connection  with  the  church  at  Railway 
there  have  been  several  outpourings  of  the  Spirit 
among  the  people,  and  the  membership  of  the  church 
during  his  pastorate  has  been  more  than  doubled. 

Dr.  Liggett's  discourses  in  the  pulpit  exhibit  a  ready 
command  of  language,  a  familiar  but  not  unpolished 
style,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  the  everlasting- 
welfare  of  his  hearers. 

The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  at  its  last 
Commencement  by  Lafayette  College. 

REV.    ISAAC    MAST. 

Mr.  Mas1  was  born  near Morgant own,  Berks  County, 
Pa.,  October  14,  1835.     After  leaving  the  Academy, 


IX   "the   forks  of    BRANDYWINE."  L79 

in  September,  1855,  lie  entered  the  Ohio  WesleyaD 
University,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  Autumn 
of  1859.  He  taught  the  aexl  winter  m  Reading, 
Pa.,  ami  joined  the  Philadelphia  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1860. 

In  1871  his  health  failed  and  he  passed  a  year  in 
California.  Having  returned  with  renewed  strength, 
he  engaged,  with  his  usual  zeal  and  faithfulness,  in 
ministerial  work  until  the  winter  of  1875-76,  when, 
being  unable  to  continue  his  pulpit  labors,  he  spent 
some  months  in  Florida.  But  the  balmy  breezes  of 
the  Peninsula  did  not  reinvigorate  his  physical  system, 
and  in  June,  1870,  he  sank  the  victim  of  that  wide- 
wasting  disease,  consumption. 

While  a  student  in  the  Academy,  Mr.  Mast  was 
noted  for  the  genial  disposition,  modesty,  and  earnest 
desire  to  do  right,  which  endeared  him  in  after-years 
both  to  his  ministerial  brethren  and  to  the  members 
of  the  congregations  of  which  he  had  the  pastoral 
oversight. 

He  published  an  account  of  his  observations  and 
adventures  while  sojourning  in  California.  This 
work,  entitled  "The  Gun,  Rod,  and  Saddle,"  may  be 
read  with  advantage  by  all  who  desire  to  increase 
their  knowledge  of  the  land  of  gold  and  romantic 
scenery.  * 

WILLIAM     I  KWIX,    M.D. 

Dr.  Irwin  studied  medicine  under  the  direction  <>i' 
Dr.  Joseph  Gaston,  of  Honeybrook    (Waynesburg), 

*  MSS.  Collections;  Personal  Remiuisceim.-. 


L80       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

and  received  the  degree  of  M.D.  from  Jefferson  Col- 
lege in  1856.  He  married  a  daughter  of  the  late  John 
M.  Mullin,  Esq.,  of  West  Brandywine,  in  1857,  and 
settled  the  same  year  as  a  physician  at  Smyrna,  Lan- 
caster  Comity,  Pa.  He  remained  at  Smyrna  with  in- 
creasing patronage  until  1865,  when  he  removed  to 
Christiana,  on  the  southeastern  boundary  of  the  same 
County,  where  he  soon  obtained  an  extensive  practice. 

Dr.  Irwin  continued  in  the  active  discharge  of  his 
professional  duties  until  his  physical  system,  never  ro- 
bust, became  so  much  impaired  as  to  render  him  un- 
able to  satisfy  the  increasing  demand  for  his  services. 
Such,  however,  was  his  attachment  to  his  calling,  and 
his  desire  to  assist  those  who  needed  medical  aid,  that 
he  did  not  relinquish  his  attendance  on  his  patients, 
when  his  health  permitted,  until  a  short  period  before 
his  death.  This  took  place  on  the  13th  of  November, 
L877,  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Irwin  was  a  diligent  student,  who  spared  neither 
time  nor  money  to  make  himself  familiar  with  the  re- 
quirements of  his  profession.  He  died  much  regretted 
by  those  who  had  shared  his  friendship  and  experi- 
enced the  benefit  of  his  medical  skill. 

H.    CLAY    MEREDITH,   M.D. 

Dr.  Meredith  completed  his  classical  course  at  Oak- 
land Institute  and  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  He  pursued 
the  study  of  medicine  under  the  supervision  of  his 
father,  the  late  Dr.  Stephen  Meredith,  and  was  grad- 
uated at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1864.  Immediately  after  his  grad- 
uation Dr.  Meredith  entered  the  Army  of  the  United 


IX    "THE    FORKS    OF    BRAJJD*  WJLHJ  1S1 

States  as  an  assistant  surgeon.     He  remained  act:-. 
en^a^ed  until  tl  of  the  war,  when  he  :    -  _ 

and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Pugh- 
1         -  -t  County. 
1 1 r.  Meredith,  like  his  father,  has  the  reputatio:. 
being  a  skilful,  well-read  physician,  and  hi- 
justifies  the  confidence  which  is  placed  in  his  knowl- 
edge and  ability. 

JOHN"    WELLS.  3I.D. 

Dr.  Wells,  after  tb  of  his  preparatory  course 

at  the  Academy,  entered  the  o:: 
baugh,  Charlestown  Township,  Chester  County,  as  a 
student  of  medicine.     He  commence  ttendai. 

on  the  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1852,  and  received  the  d<  _  f  1         :  of  Medicine 

from  that  institution  in  March.  18 

Dr.  Wells  settle  I  as  a  j  hysician  at  his  native  pi 
in  Charlestown  Township,  and  owing  -        -  genial  dk  - 
position  and  acknowl    Ig       ability        -    soon  largely 
patron:.:  He  continued  the  practice  of  his  pro:    - 

sion  with  increasing  reputation  and  usefulness  until 

-  death,  August  1~>.  1871. 

The  decease  :  Dr.  Wells  while  still  in  the  prime 
of  life  cast  a  gloom  over  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances,  wh       -  I  him  as  an  upright  citi- 

zen, and  appreciated  his  worth  as  an  attentive  and 
ful  physician. 

JOHX    >'.    C.    HAPPEP.SETT.    M.D. 

Dr.  Happ»ersett.  a  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N. 

1  read  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  K.   G 


182       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Wesl  Brandywine  Township,  Chester  County.  He 
entered  the  Medical  Department  of  Jefferson  College 
in  ilie  Fall  of  L857,  and  was  graduated  in  .March, 
1859. 

Dr.  Happersett  commenced  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Hollidaysburg,  Pa.,  in  the  spring  of  1860. 
His  skill  as  a  surgeon  broughl  him  into  notice,  and 
lie  was  soon  largely  patronized. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  Ins  patriotism  led 
him  i"  seek  an  appointment  in  the  army.  His  appli- 
cation was  successful,  and  in  August,  1861,  he  was 
commissioned  as  an  Assistant  Surgeon.  He  served 
with  distinction  during  the  campaigns  of  the  army  of 
the  West,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  assigned  to 
the  Department  of  the  Carolinas.  dime  26,  1876, 
he  was  commissioned  as  "surgeon  in  full"  and  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Hamilton,  in  the  Department  of  the 
East. 

Dr.  Happersett  deservedly  ranks  high  as  a  skilful 
surgeon  and  a  successful  practitioner,  and  the  respon- 
sible position  which  he  now  holds  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States  shows  thai  he  discharged  the  arduous 
duties  of  previous  appointments  with  faithfulness  and 
ability. 

EUGENE    GASTON,    M.D. 

Eugene,  eldest  son  of  the  late  Dr.  A.  K.  Gaston, 
of  Wesl  Brandywine,  completed  Ids  classical  education 
;it  the  West  Chester  Academy.  He  read  medicine 
under  the  direction  of  his  father,  entered  the  medical 
department    of  the    University  of  Pennsylvania    in 


IX  "the  i<>i;ks  of  brandywine."  l^:- 

1863,  and  received  the  degree  of  M.D    from   thai 
Institution  in  March,  1865. 

Believing  with  Horace  Greeley  that  the  West 
affords  the  best  opportunities  for  the  employment  of 
energy  and  ability,  Dr.  Gaston  determined  to  become 
a  resident  of  the  Great  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
settled  as  a  practising  physician  in  Vermilion  County, 
Illinois,  near  the  eastern  boundary  of  that  State. 
His  success  has  justified  the  choice  of  his  locution, 
and  the  extensive  and  increasing  demand  for  his 
services  has  exceeded  the  most  sanguine  expectations 
of  both  himself  and  his  friends. 

If  length  of  days  should  be  allotted  him,  Dr.  Gaston, 
when  near  his  threescore  and  ten,  will  no  doubt  merit 
and  retain,  as  his  father  did,  the  patronage  which  he 
received  during  the  preceding  forty  years. 

ALFRED    JOXES,    M.D. 

When  he  withdrew  from  the  Academy,  where  he 
had  pursued  his  studies  with  diligence  and  success, 
Dr.  Jones  engaged  in  teaching  a  common  school,  but 
finally  turned  his  attention  to  a  preparation  to  enter 
the  medical  profession.  Three  years  of  close  applica- 
tion were  rewarded  by  the  degree  of  M.D.  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  medicine,  which  he  pursued  with  en- 
couraging success  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil 
war,  when  his  patriotism  led  him  to  enter  the  army. 
He  received  a  commission  as  quartermaster  from 
Governor  Curtin,  and  accompanied  the  expedition  to 
Beaufort,  South  Carolina.      In   July,   1864,   he   was 


184       HISTORY   OF    THE    PBESBYTEEIAN   CHURCH 

taken  prisoner  while  bearing  despatches  to  General 
Hartranft,  and  did  not  obtain  his  release  till  near 
the  close  of  hostilities,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service. 

Before  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession 
I  >r.  Jones  visited  Europe,  where  he  remained  two 
years.  AYliile  abroad  he  became  a  graduate  of  the 
Medical  College  of  Paris,  and  attended  the  clinics  of 
the  hospitals  of  Vienna  and  Berlin.  After  his  return 
he  settled  as  a  physician  in  Philadelphia,  where  his 
energy,  perseverance,  and  faithful  discharge  of  his 
professional  duties  have  secured  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice. 

Dr.  Jones  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
medical  fraternity  as  a  physician  of  skill,  ability,  and 
great  moral  worth.* 

THOMAS    BUCHANAN,    M.D. 

Thomas  Buchanan,  the  younger  son  of  the  late 
Elder  David  Buchanan,  of  Honeybrook,  passed  three 
years  at  Millersville  Normal  School,  Lancaster  County, 
entered  the  freshman  class  of  Amherst  College,  Mass., 
in  18<)4,  and  was  graduated  in  1868.  He  studied  medi- 
cine under  the  direction  of  Prof.  A.  Pillou,  of  New 
York  ( 'ity,  and  attended  the  clinics  in  the  hospitals  of 
Paris,  London,  and  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

Dr.  Buchanan  practised  medicine  several  years,  but 
on  account  of  tailing  health  relinquished  his  profession 
and  became  connected  with  the  manufacturing  inter- 
ests of  St.  Louis,  where  he  now  resides.     Like  most 

*  MS.  Collections. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."      185 

patriotic  young  men,  he  passed  1861  to  18G3  in  the 
army. 

Dr.  Buchanan  lias  diligently  employed  the  advan- 
tages which  he  enjoyed,  and  is  a  learned  and  able 
physician.  His  withdrawal  from  the  practice  of  his 
profession  is  a  source  of  regret  to  his  medical  brethren 
and  a  loss  to  the  community.* 

DAVIS    F.    CROUSE,  M.D. 

Davis  F.  Crouse  was  horn  in  Wallace,  then  a 
part  of  West  Nantmeal  Township,  Chester  County, 
April  29,  1835.  His  early  instruction  was  received 
in  the  common  schools,  until  the  opening  of  Howard 
Academy,  which  he  attended  several  sessions  with 
marked  diligence  and  improvement.  In  1856  his 
parents  removed  to  Illinois,  where  they  had  been  set- 
tled but  a  short  time  when  he  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  while  teaching  a  public  school.  His 
studies  were  pursued  with  so  much  zeal  and  perse- 
verance that  three  years  afterwards  he  received  the 
degree  of  M.D.  from  the  Medical  College  at  Cincin- 
nati. In  1861-62  he  attended  the  lectures  of  Belle- 
vue  Hospital,  New  York. 

Dr.  Crouse  followed  his  profession  with  success  in 
Carroll  County,  111.,  and  subsequently  in  Joe  Daviess 
County  in  the  same  State,  but  finally  removed  to 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  where  he  practised, in  connection  with 
a  younger  brother,  until  his  retirement  in  1878,  after 
eighteen  years  of  arduous  professional  labor.  He  then 
undertook  the  supervision  of  a  nursery  and  a  farm,  in 


*  MS.  Collections. 
13 


186       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

which  he  was  engaged  until  liis  decease,  in  October, 

18S< ». 

Dr.  ('rouse's  medical  skill  and  attention  to  his  pa- 
tients caused  him  to  be  liberally  patronized,  while  his 
amenity,  upright  conduct,  and  general  culture  gave 
him  a  high  place  in  the  estimation  of  both  the  public 
and  his  professional  brethren.* 

WILLIAM    HUNTER,  M.D. 

William,  only  son  of  David  Hunter,  Esq.,  of  Honey- 
brook  Township,  was  born  in  July,  1833.  Having 
completed  bis  preparatory  training  at  this  Institution 
and  the  Academy  at  New  London,  he  entered  on  the 
study  of  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Atlee,  of 
Lancaster,  and  received  the  degree  of  M.D.  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  in  March,  1854. 

Dr.  Hunter  settled  as  a  physician  at  White  Haven, 
Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  and  pursued  his  profession  with 
encouraging  success  and  marked  ability  until  the 
Spring  of  1856,  when  he  sunk  under  a  chronic  dis- 
ease of  the  alimentary  organs.  His  early  death  was 
the  cause  of  much  sorrow,  not  only  to  his  bereaved 
sisters,  but  also  to  the  many  friends  whose  seemingly 
well-founded  hopes  of  his  professional  eminence  and 
usefulness,  were  unexpectedly  blasted. 

Dr.  Hunter  was  the  first  of  the  students  of  Howard 
Academy  who  passed  from  the  activity  of  professional 
life  to  the  rest  of  the  grave.  His  death,  and  the  de- 
cease in  less  than  thirty  years  of  more  than  one-third 


*  MS.  Collections. 


IN  "the  forks  of  beaxdywim."  187 

of  those  who  were  pupils  of  the  Institution,  are  mel- 
ancholy proofs  that  youth  is  no  protection  against  the 
shafts  of  the  destroyer. 

Howard  Academy  to  a  large  number  afforded  the 
means  of  obtaining  ;i  better  education  than  otherwise 
they  could  have  done,  and  its  discontinuance  was  a 
source  of  regret  to  the  friends  of  intelligence  and  cul- 
ture in  Honeybrook  and  t lie  neighboring  Townships. 

Besides  weekly  lectures  by  the  principal  on  histor- 
ical, literary,  and  scientific  subjects,  addresses  to  the 
students  were  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Drs.  J.  N.  C. 
Grier,  Lehman,  Crowrell,  and  Hotchkin,  and  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  W.  W.  Latta,  Harry,  Holland,  Flowers,  J.  C. 
Thompson,  and  Dr.  A.  K.  Gaston. * 


*  Reminiscences  of  First  Principal ;  Records  of  Academy  ;  Corns, 
from  Elder  John  Ralston  and  others. 


188      HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 


SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 


ROCKVILLE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

In  May,  1820,  the  first  Sunday-School  within  the 
bounds  of  this  congregation  was  organized  in  a  build- 
ins:  that  stands  a  short  distance  north  of  Rockville, 
and  which  was  long  known  by  the  name  of  Walker's 
School-House.  Elder  James  Ralston,  Elder  William 
Templeton,  Thomas  M'Clune,  and  Obadiah  Robinson 
were  chosen  Superintendents.  As  the  first  three  were 
Presbyterians  and  the  last  named  a  Methodist,  it  was 
not  strictly  denominational,  but  was  what  would  now 
be  called  a  Union  Sunday-School. 

Elder  John  Ralston  and  his  brother  James,  Jno. 
Dorian,  James  Lockhart,  Washington  Righter,  John 
Lockhart,  Jos.  Donnell,  Master  John  W.  Pinkerton, 
and  perhaps  some  others,  were  selected  as  teacher.-. 
Master  Pinkerton  acted  as  Secretary. 

Two  of  the  Superintendents  attended  every  Sab- 
bath. One  of  them  opened  the  School  with  prayer, 
and  the  other  closed  it  in  the  same  manner.  The  ex- 
ercises consisted  principally  of  the  recitation  of  por- 
tions  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  Psalms  and  Hymns. 
There  was  a  generous  rivalry  among  the  scholars  in 
regard  to  the  number  of  verses  which  each  could  recite 
on  a  Sabbath,  and  this  emulation  was  carried  so  far  that 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."      189 

upwards  of  three  hundred  verses  of  the  Bible  were 
repeated  by  some  of  the  pupils  at  one  time. 

The  School  assembled  in  the  afternoon,  and  as  it 
was  somewhat  of  a  novelty,  the  attendance  was  large, 
the  children  being  accompanied  in  most  instances  by 
their  parents. 

The  School  building  often  proving  too  small  to  ac- 
commodate the  scholars  and  spectators,  the  exercises 
were  not  unfrequently  conducted  in  a  grove  which 
stood  West  of  the  road  leading  from  the  School-house 
to  Rockville. 

Dr.  Grier,  the  pastor,  occasionally  attended,  and 
gave  the  scholars  some  religious  instruction  and  ad- 
vice ;  but  as  he  generally  preached  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  Sabbath,  either  in  a  school-house  or  at  the  resi- 
dence of  some  aged  member  of  the  congregation,  his 
engagements  seldom  permitted  him  to  be  present. 

Tickets  or  cards  with  a  text  of  Scripture  printed  on 
them  were  given  to  the  scholars.  Some  of  these 
tickets  were  printed  on  red  paper,  and  others  on  blue. 
The  recitation  of  a  hymn,  or  of  a  fixed  number  of 
verses  of  Scripture,  entitled  a  scholar  to  a  blue  card, 
and  a  certain  amount  of  these  could  be  exchanged  for 
a  red  one.  When  the  fortunate  holder  had  obtained 
as  many  of  the  latter  as  were  required,  a  book  was 
uiven  in  their  stead. 

As  the  School  had  to  be  closed  in  the  Fall,  the  dis- 
continuance proved  unfavorable,  and  when  it  was 
opened  the  next  Spring  the  attendance  was  smaller, 
and  the  interest  manifested  much  less.  This  became 
so  apparent  towards  the  end  of  the  Summer,  that  those 
who  were  mainly  instrumental  in  carrying  it  on  were 


L90       BISTORT    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCB 

disheartened,  and  no  arrangements  were  made  for 
conducting  it  the  nexl  year. 

In  L828  the  School  was  reopened  with  bul   partial 

success.  After  that  no  effort  was  made  to  revive  it 
until  1832,  when  it  was  reorganized  by  Elder  William 
Templeton,  who  continued  to  be  its  efficient  and  faith- 
ful Superintendent  until  his  death,  in  1849.  Ever 
since  that  time  the  School  has  been  regularly  kepi 
open  during  the  Summer  season.  Messrs.  Thomas 
Walker,  William  Robinson,  John  F.  Templeton,  and 
Lewis  Worrell  have  acted  as  Superintendents. 


MANOR   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

A  Sunday-School  was  opened  in  1821  in  the  School 
building  which  stood  near  the  Upper  Graveyard.  John 
Templeton,  Esq.,  James  K.  Grier,  Joseph  F.  Grier, 
M.D.,  John  McCathran,  James  McCathran,  William 
Major,  William  Stanly,  and  some  others  performed  the 
duties  of  teachers.  James  Hind  man  filled  the  office 
of  Secretary.  The  Jlev.  John  W.  Grier,  who  was  at 
that  time  the  Principal  of  the  Brandy  wine  Academy, 
acted  as  Superintendent.  This  School  was  in  opera- 
tion about  two  years,  when  it  was  discontinued. 

In  the  Spring  of  182S  a  number  of  young  people 
of  the  neighborhood  met  at  the  residence  of  General 
.Matthew  Stanly  and  organized  a  Sunday-School, 
which  was  held  in  a  large  spring-house  loft  belonging 
to  the  General.  This  School  was  mainly  conducted 
by  the  same  teachers  as  the  one  which  had  been  kept 
in  the  school-house.      It  was  continued   during  the 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  L91 

Summer  season  of  two  years,  1828  and  1829,  when, 
owing  to  the  unsafe  condition  of  the  walls  of  the 
building,  it  was  thought  imprudent  to  reopen  it  in  the 
same  j^lace,  and  no  other  suitable  building  could  be 
obtained. 

After  the  lapse  of  several  years  a  Sunday-School 
was  opened  in  the  Manor  Church,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  Pastor,  Dr.  Grier.  It  was  held  in 
the  morning,  before  the  customary  services  of  the  day 
were  commenced.  Dr.  Grier  occupied  a  part  of  the 
time  in  explaining  portions  of  the  Scriptures  and 
other  religious  exercises.  This  School,  which  was  con- 
tinued during  the  remainder  of  his  pastorate,  has  been 
watched  over  and  aided  by  his  successors  in  the 
ministry.  It  has  at  present  112  scholars  and  15 
teachers  and  officers,  with  Mr.  B.  G.  Ilea  as  Superin- 
tendent. 

Both  it  and  the  school  at  Rockville,  which  has  85 
scholars  and  1 1  teachers  and  officers,  are  regarded  not 
only  as  important  auxiliaries  to  the  Church,  but  as  a 
means  of  benefiting  many  who  otherwise  would  receive 
no  religions  instruction. 

The  superintendents,  all  of  the  teachers,  and  many 
of  the  scholars  connected  with  those  first  Sunday- 
Schools  have  passed  away,  while  the  survivors,  with 
few  exceptions,  have  numbered  the  allotted  threescore 
and  ten.  But  in  reviewing  the  incidents  of  seventy 
years,  there  are  scarcely  any  which  they  recall  with 
more  pleasure  and  gratitude  than  the  associations  ami 
instruction  of  the  weekly  gatherings  on  the  Sabbath 
which  they  attended  more  than  half  a  century  ago. 

How    many    those    primitive    Sunday-Schools    led 


192     in  rom   <>i    mi    phi   m  rRRiAN  ohuroh 

io   become   partakers  <»r  the   blessings  of   the    Ne^ 

Cove it,  or  hovi   often  the  texts  of  Scripture  and 

r  iini   of  prayer  and  thank  giving,  then  impressed  on 
the  memory,  may  have  guarded  againsl  temptation  or 

lightened  i  he  burdeni    and    othed  asperities  in  I  he 

pathway  of  life,  the  "  Greal  Day"  alone  will 'reveal.11 

i;.  inn, i  , ,  noe    of  Jamo     MM  laohran  ,  oi    Bldei  John   RaI  ton 

Looal    Ma unda;  Communication   from   Rov.    Mr.   MoOoll;   from 

Samuel  [liiulman 


in  "the  fokks  of  braxdywine."  L93 


THE   PARSONAGE. 


In  Scotland  the  Manse  is  considered  almost  equally 
essential  with  the  Kirk.  As  a  majority  of  the  minis- 
ters of  the  churches  there  are  not  the  owners  of  any 
means  for  passing  from  place  to  place,  it  is  deemed  im- 
portant that  he  whose  duties  require  him  to  be  present 
in  the  House  of  God  twice  or  thrice  a  week  should 
reside  near  to  the  scene  of  his  labors. 

For  manv  years  after  the  settlement  of  Presbyte- 
rians in  America,  in  consequence  of  the  necessity  for 
every  one  to  be  provided  with  a  means  of  conveyance 
of  his  own,  parsonages  were  not  considered  absolutely 
essential.  The  funds  of  most  of  the  congregations 
having  been  exhausted  in  building  a  meeting-house 
and  a  session-house,  no  provision  was  made  for  a 
pastor's  residence. 

This  was  particularly  the  case  with  the  churches 
firsl  established.  Hence  it  often  happened  that 
churches  whose  organization  was  but  yesterday,  when 
compared  with  those  of  an  early  date,  were  furnished 
witli  a  dwelling  appropriated  for  the  use  of  the  pastor, 
while  the  church  of  which  they  were  in  many  in- 
stance- colonies  had  made  no  provision  of  the  kind. 

Of  this  the  congregation  worshipping  in  this  place 
affords  an  example.  The  churches  at  Coatesville, 
Waynesburg,  and  Fairview  composed,  at  first,  either 


194       BISTORT    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

wholly  or  in  part  of  members  from  this  church,  had 
each  a  parsonage  before  it  was  determined  to  erect  one 
here. 

Mr.  Black  having  no  fainilywhen  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation, made  Ins  home  with  some  of  the  members  of 
his  charge.  The  house  in  winch  Mr.  Dean  dwelt  in 
West  Nantmeal  Township,  as  stated  elsewhere,  is  no 
longer  in  existence,  and  Mr.  Boyd,  while  supplying 
the  Old  Side,  continued  to  reside  near  his  church  in 
Octoraro.  Mr.  Carmichael,  with  Scotch  thrift  and 
frugality,  acquired  considerable  property,  and  passed 
his  last  years  on  a  farm  in  West  Brandywine  Town- 
ship, which  was  long  the  residence  of  the  late  Squire 
M'Clellan.  Mr.  Nathan  Grier,  shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage, in  1787,  bought  the  farm  now  belonging  to  the 
estate  of  the  late  Richard  Parke,  and  resided  there 
until  his  death.  When  his  son,  the  Rev.  J.  N.  C. 
Grier,  succeeded  him  in  the  pastorate  he  purchased 
the  homestead,  and  it  continued  to  he  the  parsonage 
until  1841.  In  that  year  he  erected,  on  land  adjoin- 
ing the  church  property,  the  mansion  in  which  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

After  the  resignation  of  Dr.  drier  the  necessity  of 
providing  a  residence  for  the  pastor  became  so  ap- 
parent that  efforts  were  made  to  accomplish  it.  With 
the  energy  and  liberality  which  have  always  been 
shown  by  the  members  of  this  Church  when  they 
were  convinced  thai  any  measure  was  needed  for  the 
prosperity  of  their  beloved  Zion,  funds  were  collected 
and  a  suitable  building  erected  in  1869— '70.  The 
main  structure,  which  is  carefully  and  neatly  finished, 
stands  Easl  of  the   Lower  ( iraveyanl,  on  a  part  of  the 


IN  "the  forks  of  beandywine."  195 

land  originally  owned  by  the  New  Side.  It  is  thirty- 
five  feet  in  front  by  twenty-six  feet  deep  on  the  East 
side;  forty-four  feet  deep  on  the  West  side,  and  two 
and  a  half  stories  in  height.  The  entire  cost  of  the 
dwelling,  out-buildings,  and  improvement  of  the 
ground  was  about  four  thousand  dollars. 

The  situation  of  the  parsonage  is  retired,  healthful, 
and  elevated,  affording  an  extensive  view  in  almost 
every  direction,  and  needs  but  a  tasteful  arrangement 
of  the  lawn,  and  the  addition  of  trees  and  shrubbery, 
to  compare  favorably  with  buildings  erected  for  a 
similar  purpose  by  rural  churches  in  general. 

Like  "the  ministers'  home"  in  other  lands,  this  par- 
sonage, in  the  course  of  years,  will  become  closely  con- 
nected with  the  remembrance  of  the  pastors  who  have 
occupied  it  and  passed  away.  Around  it  associations 
will  gather  scarcely  less  salutary  and  less  solemn  than 
those  which  pertain  to  buildings  specially  dedicated  to 
the  service  of  the  Most  High  * 


*  MSS. ;  Church  Records. 


196       HISTORY    OF    THE   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 


SESSION-HOUSES. 


As  the  Presbyterians  who  first  settled  in  America 
generally  considered  the  Session-House  or  Study  almost 
equally  important  with  the  Meeting-House,  and  seldom 
erected  the  latter,  however  rude,  without,  at  the  same 
time,  placing  the  former  near  by,  it  is  altogether 
likely  that  there  was  a  Session-House  belonging  to  the 
First  Meeting-House.  But  as  even  tradition  is  silent 
respecting  such  a  building,  it  would  be  futile  to  inquire, 
if  it  did  exist,  where  it  was  situated,  and  whether  it 
served  both  as  a  school-house  and  a  place  for  the 
meetings  of  the  members  of  Session. :|: 

The  Session-House  belonging  to  the  Second  Meeting- 
House  stood  near  the  Southeast  corner  of  the  ground 
belonging  to  Mr.  Dean's  congregation.  It  was  placed 
with  the  front  parallel  to  the  Koad  leading  to  Down- 
ingtown,  and  was  probably  furnished  with  a  fireplace. 
This  Session-House  having  become  nearly  unfit  for 
use,  and  being  inconveniently  situated  in  respect  to  the 
MiM 'ting-House  erected  in  1761,  a  log  Session-House 
about  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet,  with  a  large  fireplace 
in  one  end,  was  built  a  few  rods  South  of  the  new 
church  edifice.  The  entrance  was  on  the  side  most 
distant  from  the  church. 

This  building,  like  nearly  all  the  Session-Houses  of 

*  Some  remains  of  the  foundation  of  what  seems  to  have  been  a 
small  building,  recently  noticed  near  the  entrance  to  the  Upper  Grave- 
yard, may  have  been  part  of  a  primitive  Session-House. 


IX  "the  forks  of  bbandywine."         107 

the  Presbyterian  Church  at  that  day,  was  used  as  a 
school-house.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Bowser,  who  was 
not  remarkable  for  the  purity  of  his  morals  or  his 
amiable  disposition,  taught  a  school  in  that  Session- 
House  upwards  of  one  hundred  years  ago.  The  late 
John  Strong,  Major  George  Dorian,  Nathan  Dorian, 
Alexander  Nesbit,  and  others  whom  some  now  living 
remember,  were  among  his  pupils.  Both  Bowser  and 
Stephen  Wray,  who  taught  towards  the  close  of  the 
last  century  in  the  Session-House  of  the  Seceder 
Meeting-House,  were  firm  believers  in  the  efficacy  of 
the  rod.  Consequently  the  frequent  applications  of  it, 
as  an  aid  to  discipline  and  a  spur  to  mental  activity, 
were  a  part  of  their  daily  programme. 

In  1827  the  log  Session-House  was  removed,  and  a 
stone  building  about  eighteen  feet  by  twenty,  with  a 
fireplace  in  the  west  end,  was  erected  on  the  ground 
occupied  by  the  former  Session-House,  and  stood,  like 
it,  with  the  front  to  the  South.  This  served  for  the 
meetings  of  the  Session  until  1875,  when  it  was  taken 
down  to  afford  room  for  the  site  of  the  recently-erected 
church  edifice. 

In  the  construction  of  the  New  Meeting-House,  a 
room  was  set  apart  in  the  basement  for  the  transaction 
of  all  business  belonging  to  the  government  of  the 
church.  The  members  of  the  congregation,  therefore, 
instead  of  having  their  Session-House  in  one  place, 
their  Meeting-House  in  another,  and  their  Sunday- 
School  room  at  a  considerable  distance  from  both,  as 
was  formerly  the  case,  have  these  all  conveniently 
arranged  in  the  same  building.* 

*  Local  Memoranda ;  Church  Records. 


198       lllsh>i:Y    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


BEQUESTS. 


Although  there  has  been  a  number  of  wealthy 
members  of  the  congregation  who  contributed  lib- 
erally for  benevolent  purposes  and  the  keeping  of 
the  buildings  and  enclosures  belonging  to  the  church 
in  a  proper  condition,  yet  many  of  them  failed  to 
make  any  provision  for  assisting  to  defray  the  ex- 
pense of  repairs,  improvements,  and  other  beneficent 
objects,  after  their  decease.  The  bequests,  therefore, 
have  been  comparatively  few  and  the  amount  small  ; 
the  whole  sum  not  exceeding  three  thousand  dollars. 
This  is  to  be  regretted,  as  not  only  the  cost  of  pre- 
venting the  grounds  and  buildings  from  becoming 
impaired,  but  the  purchase  of  books  for  the  Sunday- 
Schools,  the  circulation  of  tracts  and  temperance  doc- 
uments, and  support  of  missions  require  funds  which 
are  often  difficult  to  be  obtained,  and  the  smallness  of 
which  frequently  confines  these  means  of  doing  good 
within  narrow  limits. 

Those  whom  the  bounty  of  Providence  has  blessed 
with  plenty  might  be  the  almoners  of  that  bounty 
when  life  has  ceased  by  endowments  for  charitable 
purposes,  the  spread  of  religious  intelligence,  and  the 
extension  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom. 

BEQUESTS    SO    FAR    AS    KNOWN. 

Joseph  MackeldufF,  who  died  in  1750,  left  five 
pounds  for  the  benefit  of  the  Church. 


ix  "the  fores  of  brandywine."  L99 

John  Beaton,  in  1770,  bequeathed  thirty  pounds 
"tor  the  use  of  the  Meeting-House."  This  was  ap- 
plied towards  defraying  the  cost  of  restoring  the 
church  edifice  after  its  injury  by  fire. 

Elder  William  Irwin,  whose  death  occurred  in  1794, 
devised  a  small  sum,  six  pounds,  for  the  purpose  of 
renewing  the  fence  around  the  Upper  Graveyard. 

Hugh  Morton,  long  an  active  member  of  the  con- 
gregation, in  1811  left  fifty  pounds,  which  were  ex- 
pended, under  the  direction  of  General  Stanly,  for 
the  iron  gate  and  marble  posts  at  the  eastern  entrance 
to  the  Upper  Graveyard. 

Isaac  Smith  directed  about  one  hundred  dollars  to 
be  placed  by  his  executors  in  the  hands  of  the  trustees 
of  the  church  to  be  applied  towards  keeping  the  Lower 
Graveyard  and  the  wall  surrounding  it  in  suitable 
order.  A  portion  of  this  sum  was  used  to  purchase 
the  gate  and  the  pillars  that  bear  the  initials  of  his 
name  which  are  placed  at  the  entrance,  and  the  bal- 
ance appropriated  towards  paying  for  the  repairs  and 
extension  of  the  wall  in  1860. 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  directed 
by  the  will  of  John  Craig,  in  1825,  to  be  invested  by 
the  trustees  of  the  church,  and  the  interest  applied 
from  time  to  time  in  keeping  the  Lower  Graveyard 
in  good  repair.  A  part  of  this  was  expended  for  the 
extension  of  the  enclosure  on  the  South  side,  and 
the  remainder  (two  hundred  and  twelve  dollars)  in 
restoring  and  flagging  the  wall. 

Peter  Kurtz,  who  died  March  19,  1880,  left  five 
hundred  dollars  for  the  benefit  of  the  church,  and 
a   like  amount  was    devised    for   the   same   purpose 


200       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Christnian,  whose  death  took  place 
in  February  of  the  same  year. 

Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Grier  directed  in  her  last  Will 
and  Testament  that  five  hundred  dollars  should  be 
invested  by  the  trustees  of  the  church,  and  the  in- 
terest expended  in  keeping  up  the  graves  of  herself 
and  her  husband,  Elder  James  K.  Grier.  She  also 
bequeathed  five  hundred  dollars  to  aid  the  operations 
of  the  church. 

A  bequest  of  one  hundred  dollars  was  made  by 
Augustus  J.  Dowlin,  who  died  in  April,  1884. 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  devised 
by  Thomas  Lomas,  whose  decease  occurred  in  1883, 
for  keeping  the  Lower  Graveyard  in  repair. 

By  the  will  of  William  Moore,  his  executors  were 
directed  to  place  five  hundred  dollars  in  the  hands  of 
the  trustees,  a  part  of  it,  or  the  interest  accruing,  to  be 
expended  in  keeping  his  family  burial-lots  in  repair, 
and  the  balance  to  be  expended  for  the  benefit  of  the 
church. 

The  sums  devised  by  Mrs.  Kurtz,  Mrs.  Christman, 
and  Mrs.  Grier,  together  amounting  to  fifteen  hundred 
dollars,  less  the  collateral  inheritance  tax,  were  used 
for  the  payment  of  debts  arising  from  the  improve- 
ment of  the  enclosures  and  other  necessary  expenses 
connected  with  the  church  property.* 


*  Records  of  Session  ;    Local   Memoranda;  Office  of  Register  of 
Wills. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."      201 


PEW-HOLDERS  IN  1792-9 


In  no  part  of  the  world  are  changes  of  residence 
more  frequent  than  in  the  United  States.  New  fields 
for  adventure  are  continually  being  laid  open.  New 
enterprises  which  promise  much  are  again  and  again 
presented,  and  real  or  fancied  advantages  foster  the 
desire  "to  better  their  circumstances,"  which  seems  to 
be  the  leading  idea  in  the  minds  of  a  large  portion  of 
our  countrymen.  As  a  consequence  many  abandon 
the  homes  of  their  childhood,  and  the  places  where 
their  youthful  years  were  passed,  for  more  inviting 
and  distant  localities. 

Although  this  "disposition  to  wander"  is  more  char- 
acteristic of  the  Scotch-Irish,  the  Irish,  and  their  pos- 
terity, than  of  anv  class  of  our  citizens,  vet  an  exam- 
ination  of  the  following  list  of  pew-holders  will  show 
that  a  considerable  number  of  the  supporters  of  this 
church  at  the  present  time  are  the  descendants  of  those 
who  sustained  a  Gospel  ministry  here  fourscore  and 
ten  years  ago. 

All  whose  names  are  comprised  in  this  list,  and  with 
a  few  exceptions  the  generation  which  immediately 
succeeded  them,  are  dt ?ad ',  but  the  Church  still  lives. 

The  influence  of  their  example  and  of  their  pious 
instruction  has  reached  to  the  third  and  even  to  the 
fourth  generation.     How  much  of  encouragement  does 

14 


202       EISTOKY    OF    THE    PRESBYTEEIAX    CIIUECH 


this  afford  to  those  who  are  "  never  weary  in  well- 
doing," and  especially  to  those  who  have  aided  in  the 
construction  of  the  building  which  has  recently  been 
dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  Great  Head  of  the 
church. 

They,  like  their  fathers  and  forefathers,  are  leaving 
a  memorial  of  their  good  works  and  an  influence,  which 
will  be  seen  and  felt  long  after  the  "  places  which  now 
know,  shall  know  them  no  more." 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pew-holders  in  1792- 
96,  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained  from  imperfect 
Church  Records  and  other  sources  : 


John  Alford. 
Ephraim  Allen. 
James  Anderson. 
Margaret  Anderson. 
William  Anderson. 
Andrew  Barr. 
Robert  Beatty. 
William  Blair. 
William  Brown. 
Hannah  Buchanan. 
John  Buchanan. 
Matthew  Buchanan. 
Samuel  Byers,  Sr. 
Samuel  Byers. 
Widow  Byers. 
Adam  Campbell. 
David  Carson. 
Samuel  Caruthers. 
John  Craige. 
Samuel  Craige. 
Parmenas  Crowe. 
Samuel  Cunningham,  Esq. 
Isaac  Davis. 


Joshua  Davis. 
Methusaleh  Davis. 
David  Denny. 
James  Denny. 
Samuel  Denny. 
William  Denny. 
William  Diven. 
(lei Hue  Dorian. 
Nathan  Dorian. 
Samuel  Dorian. 
John  Dunlap. 
James  Dunwoodie. 
John  Dunwoodie. 
Elizabeth  Elliott. 
William  Elliott, 
Theophilus  Erwin. 
Elizabeth  Ferguson. 
James  Forrest. 
Francis  Gardner. 
Dr.  Isaac  Gibson. 
James  Graham. 
Michael  Graham. 
John  Gray. 


ix  "Tin:   porks  or   r.i;  w  dywink. 


•_><>:; 


John  Grier. 
Joseph  Grier. 
Rev.  Nathan  Grier. 
Adam  Guthrie. 
James  Guthrie. 
Agnes  Henderson. 
William  Henderson. 
James  Hood. 
Sarah  Hughes. 
William  Hunter,  Esq. 
Ezekiel  Irwin. 
Adam  Jack. 
John  Johnson. 
Robert  Johnson. 
Mary  Kennedy. 
Samuel  Kennedy. 
Thomas  Kennedy. 
William  Kennedy. 
John  Lewis. 
William  Loag. 
Alexander  Lockhart,  Esq. 
James  Lockhart,  Sr. 
James  Lockhart. 
William  Lockhart. 
William  Long. 
Alexander  Marshall. 
James  McCachran. 
James  McConnel. 
Samuel  Mackelduff. 
James  M'Clune. 
Benjamin  McClure. 


James  McClure. 
Joseph  McClure. 
Bryan  McCune. 
Elizabeth  McKinly. 
Paul  McKnight. 
James  Miller. 
David  Moore. 
James  Moore,  Esq. 
William  Moore. 
William  Moore,  Jr. 
Hugh  Morton. 
William  Neely. 
Robert  Nesbit. 
David  Pittsfbrd. 
Charles  Reed. 
David  Robeson. 
James  Robinson. 
John  Robison. 
Matthias  Shoenar. 
Col.  Robert  Smith. 
Andrew  Stanly. 
Matthew  Stanly,  Esq. 
William  Sterrett,  Sr. 
William  Sterrett,  Jr. 
John  Todd. 
John  Strong. 
James  Tarrance. 
Rachel  White. 
John  Wiuans. 
Jonathan  Wynn. 


204       BISTORT    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


TEMPERANCE   SOCIETIES. 


The  Lectures  of  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  and  others 
had  directed  puhlic  attention  in  New  England  to 
the  increase  of  intemperance,  and  measures  had  been 
adopted  to  arrest  its  progress  before  any  means  were 
devised  to  stay  its  ravages  in  the  Middle  States.  The 
first  Temperance  Society  was  formed  in  Boston,  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1826,  and  some  years  later  a  few  associa- 
tions having  the  same  object  in  view,  were  formed 
in  Pennsylvania. 

The  first  Temperance  Society  within  the  bounds  of 
this  congregation,  and  among  the  earliest  organized  in 
Chester  County,  was  formed  in  1831.  Towards  the 
close  of  April  in  that  year,  a  number  of  residents  in  the 
neighborhood  assembled  for  that  purpose,  in  what  was 
long  known  by  the  name  of  Walker's  School-House, 
near  the  village  of  Rockville.  The  meeting  was  or- 
ganized by  calling  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier  to  the 
chair,  and  the  appointment  of  Master  John  W.  Pink- 
erton  as  Secretary.  After  some  remarks  by  the  Chair- 
man, and  an  interchange  of  views  on  the  subject,  a 
Temperance  Society  was  formed  and  a  constitution 
adopted  and  signed,  pledging  those  whose  names  were 
appended*  to  abstain  from  making,  selling,  or  using 
intoxicating  liquors. 

*  See  Appendix  J. 


ix  "the  forks  of  beandywim."  205 

Of  the  twenty-eight  who  then  came  forward  and 
avowed  their  determination  to  aid  in  lessening  or  re- 
moving the  manifold  evils  of  intemperance,  twenty- 
six  are  dead.  Some  of  them  were  men  whose  heads 
were  whitened  by  the  frosts  of  time,  and  who  had 
long  witnessed  and  deplored  the  direful  consequences 
arising  from  the. use  of  spirituous  liquors.  Others 
were  men  of  middle  age,  around  whom  families  were 
clustering,  and  who  desired  to  guard  their  households 
against  a  fruitful  source  of  poverty  and  disgrace.  The 
majority,  however,  were  young  men  about  to  go  forth 
to  meet  the  trials  and  temptations  which  beset  the 
pathway  of  life,  and  who  wisely  girded  themselves 
with  the  armor  of  total  abstinence  before  they  engaged 
in  the  conflict. 

So  far  as  is  known  no  one  violated  the  obligations 
entered  into  on  that  day,  while  some  of  them  advo- 
cated temperance,  both  orally  and  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  press,  with  ability  and  faithfulness. 

Meetings  were  held  and  addresses  on  the  subject 
delivered  for  several  years,  but  although  much  good 
was  accomplished  the  enthusiasm  subsided,  the  most 
active  workers  became  gradually  disperse'd,  and  the 
Society  as  a  distinct  organization  ceased  to  exist. 

Before  closing  an  account  of  the  first  temperance 
society,  it  ought  to  be  stated  that  the  use,  or  more  cor- 
rectly the  abuse,  of  intoxicating  liquors  was,  at  that 
time,  far  different  from  what  it  now  is.  Then,  a  la- 
borer would  refuse  employment  unless  he  received 
a  morning  dram,  and  a  building  could  scarcely  be 
erected  or  a  harvest  gathered  without  the  use  of  in- 
dent spirits.     Even  aged   and    otherwise   respectable 


206       HISTORY    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAM    CHURCH 

men  often  found  it  difficult  to  preserve  a  steady  gait 
when  returning  from  vendues,  elections,  or  other 
public  gatherings.  The  smoke  of  five  distilleries 
daily  rose  within  the  bounds  of  this  congregation,  and 
to  get  drunk  occasionally  was  scarcely  a  disgrace. 

In  1851  a  meeting  for  the  furtherance  of  tem- 
perance was  held  at  Howard  Academy,  Roekville, 
and  a  society  formed,  of  which  Elder  John  Rals- 
ton was  chosen  President.  A  large  number  signed 
the  pledge.  Public  meetings  were  frequently  held, 
and  addresses  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  N. 
C.  Grier,  Dr.  Lehman,  Dr.  Hotchkin,  Dr.  A.  K. 
Gaston,  Rev.  George  Chandler,  Rev.  William  W. 
Latta,  the  Principal,  and  some  of  the  leading  students 
of  Howard  Academy.  Finally,  however,  this  society, 
like  its  predecessor  of  twenty  years  before,  was  per- 
mitted to  languish  and  die,  but  not  until,  through  the 
influence  of  it  and  kindred  associations,  the  distilla- 
tion of  ardent  spirits  in  Chester  County  had  ceased, 
and  intoxicating  liquors  were  no  longer  furnished  to 
those  employed  in  the  workshop  or  the  field.* 


*  Local    Memoranda;    Records  of    Howard    Academy;    Personal 
Reminiscences. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywim:.' 


207 


A  LIST 

OF  SUBSCRIBERS  TO  THE  FUND  FOR  ENCLOSING  THE  GRAVEYARDS 
BY  A  STONE  WALL,  IN  1794-95. 


Ephrairn  Allen. 
Hugh  Anderson. 
Margaret  Anderson. 
William  Anderson. 

B. 

Eleanor  Barker. 
Robert  Beatty. 
Samuel  Beatty. 
Sarah  Brown. 
Thomas  Brown. 
William  Brown. 
Samuel  Byers. 
Samuel  Byers,  Jr. 
Widow  Byers. 
John  Buchanan. 
Matthew  Buchanan. 

C. 

Hugh  Calhoun. 
Adam  Campbell. 
John  Campbell. 
David  Carson. 
Robert  Carson. 
Mary  Carswell. 
William  Christy. 
John  Craige. 


Robert  &  Samuel  Craige. 
William  Culberson. 
Samuel  Cunningham. 
William  Cunningham. 

D. 

John  Darlington. 
Joseph  Darlington. 
Isaac  Davis. 
Methusaleh  Davis. 
David  Denny. 
William  Denny. 
George  Dorian. 
Nathan  Dorian. 
Joseph  Dougan. 
Daniel  Dunlap. 
James  DuDWOody. 
John  Dunwoody. 

E. 

Margaret  Elliott. 
William  Elliott. 
Thomas  Ewing. 


Widow  Ferguson. 
Andrew  Forbis. 
John  Forbis. 


208       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 


James  Forrest. 
James  Fritz. 

G. 

Alexander  Gillipsie. 
Peter  Graham. 
John  Gray. 
Dr.  Isaac  Gibson. 
Mrs.  Goudey. 
Rev.  Nathan  Grier. 
John  Grier. 
Joseph  Grier. 
Adam  Guthrie. 
James  Guthrie. 
William  Guthrie. 

H. 

Jacob  Happersett. 
Abram  Harler. 
Henry  Harler. 
William  Henderson. 
James  Hood. 
Sarah  Hughes. 
William  Hunter,  Esq. 
James  Hutcheson. 

I. 

John  Irwin,  Jr. 
Mary  Irwin. 
Theophilus  Irwin. 
Thomas  Irwin. 
William  Irwin. 


Elizabeth  Jack. 
David  Jones. 
John  Jones. 


K. 

William  Kennedy. 

Samuel  Kennedy. 
George  Kennedy. 


John  Lewis. 
Mrs.  Lewis. 
Joseph  Leviston. 
William  Long. 
Alexander  Lockhart. 
James  Lockhart. 
William  Lockhart. 

M. 

Richard  Mather. 
Patrick  Maitland. 
Samuel  Maitland. 
William  Maitland. 
Samuel  Mackelduff. 
Alexander  Marshal. 
James  McCachran. 
Benjamin  McClure. 
James  McClure. 
Joseph  McClure. 
James  McConnel. 
Alexander  M'Conaughy. 
Patrick  McRahey. 
Jane  M'Crosky. 
David  McCrony. 
Samuel  McCullough 
Bryan  McCune. 
John  McFarland. 
James  McGugan. 
Samuel  McKinly. 
Paul  McKnight. 
James  Miller. 
James  Moore. 


IN  "the  forks  of   iikandvw  i\  i  :. 


209 


William  Moore. 
James  Morton. 

N. 

James  Neely. 
William  Neely. 
James  Nesbit. 
Robert  Nesbit. 


Stephen  Pattup. 
Joseph  Parker. 
Mark  Peelor. 
Isaac  Phillips. 
Nathaniel  Porter. 


R. 

Charles  Reed. 
David  Robeson. 
Hugh  Robeson. 
James  Robeson. 
John  Robinson. 
Nathaniel  Robinson. 
William  Robeson. 
John  Root. 


S. 

Andrew  Stanly. 
Matthew  Stanly. 
Daniel  Shenky. 
Widow  Sherer. 
James  Steen. 
William  Sterrett. 
Robert  Sterrett. 
John  Smith. 
John  Smith,  Jr. 
Colonel  Robert  Smith. 
William  Story. 

T. 

Widow  Thompson. 

W. 

Robert  Wallace. 
Jacob  Waters. 
John  Walker. 
Aaron  White. 
Widow  White. 
Nancy  Wilson. 
William  Wilson. 
Alexander  Wilson. 
John  Winance. 
Jonathan  Wyun. 


210       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTISM  AN    CHURCH 


LEGISLATORS. 


Legislators  who  resided  within  the  bounds  of  the  congregation.* 

MEMBERS  OF  CONGRESS. 

Robert  Jenkins  was  a  Member  from  1807  to  1811.     Two  terms. 
David  Potts  "  "  "      1831  to  1839.     Four  terms. 

Abraham  Mclllvaine  "  "      1813  to  18-19.     Three  terms. 

MEMBERS  OF  STATE  LEGISLATURE. 

Col.  Robert  Smith  was  a  Member  in  1785. 

James  Moore,  Esq.,  ';  "   1788. 

Col.  Thomas  Bull  "  from  1793  to  1802. 

Methusaleh  Davis  "  in  1802, 1803, 1804, 1805,  and  1806. 

Gen.  Matthew  Stanly  "  "  1829. 

Jesse  James,  Esq.,  "  "  1829,  1851,  and  1852. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Griffith  "  "  1830,  1831,  and  1832. 

Bernard  Way,  Esq.,  "  "  1835. 

Abraham  Mcllvane  "  "  1836  and  1837. 

Col.  Thomas  K.  Bull  "  "  1846,  1847,  and  1848. 

James  M.  Dorian  "  "  1850. 

Andrew  Buchanan  "  "  1855. 

Morton  Garrett  "  "  1857. 

Capt.  Levi  Fetters  "  "  1883  and  1885. 


*  State  and  Congressional  Records. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  211 


PHYSICIANS. 


It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  and  regret  to  every  one, 
when  examining  the  annals  of  the  past,  to  find  that 
so  little  has  been  placed  on  record  of  physicians,  and 
especially  of  those  who  practised  in  rural  districts. 
While  much  that  is  noteworthy  in  the  lives  of  clergy- 
men, members  of  the  bar,  legislators,  and  military 
men  has  been  preserved,  materials  for  biographical 
notices  of  physicians,  for  the  most  part,  must  be 
sought  by  the  dim  light  of  tradition  or  gathered  from 
the  fading  recollection  of  friends  who  have  survived 
them.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  those  who 
have  practised  medicine  within   the  bounds  of  this 


congregation. 


The  earliest  whose  name  has  reached  the  present 
time  is  Dr.  Thomas  Eheese,  who  appears  to  have  been 
engaged  as  a  physician  previous  to  the  middle  of  the 
last  century  and  some  years  afterwards. 

Dr.  Rheese  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  John  Flavel  Car- 
michael, a  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Carmichael,  and  Dr. 
Joseph  Gardner,  a  son  of  Elder  Francis  Gardner. 
Dr.  Carmichael  followed  his  profession  in  the  bounds 
of  his  father's  congregation  until  1788,  when  he 
entered  the  Army  of  the  United  States  as  a  surgeon. 
Dr.  Gardner  was  engaged  principally  in  the  southern 
and  western  portions  of  Mr.  Carmichael's  charge.  In 
1790,  he  removed  to  Maryland.     He  acquired  a  high 


212       H1ST0RT    OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

reputation  as  a  physician,  and  his   professional    en- 
gagements extended  over  a  large  area. 

About  1780,  Dr.  Thomas  Harris,  who  was  much 
esteemed  for  his  medical  skill,  commenced  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Indian-town,  in  Wallace  Township. 
He  seems,  after  the  removal  of  Dr.  Carmichael  and 
Dr.  Gardner,  to  have  had  no  competitor  nearer  than 
Dr.  Sturgis,  of  Downingtown. 

Dr.  Thomas  Kennedy,  the  friend  and  pupil  of  Dr. 
Harris,  succeeded  to  his  practice  in  1796  or  '97.  Dr. 
Kennedy  soon  became  noted  for  his  skill  and  attention 
to  his  patients.  His  practice  consequently  embraced 
a  large  extent  of  country.  Several  years  before  his 
death,  in  April,  1814,  he  was  the  only  resident 
physician  within  the  bounds  of  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Grier's  charge.* 

Dr.  John  E.  Grier,  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  Col- 
lege and  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  1813.  Being  well  edu- 
cated and  having  a  good  reputation  as  a  surgeon, 
he  was  largely  patronized.  Dr.  Grier  remained 
until  about  1825,  when  he  removed  to  the  State  of 
Ohio.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  the  Miami  Valley, 
where  and  in  other  parts  of  that  State,  he  remained 
until  his  death,  in  1844. 

In  1814,  Dr.  Benjamin  Grillith  began  the  practice 
of  medicine  near  Glen  Moore,  and  continued  in  the 
active  discharge  of  his  professional  duties  upwards  of 
forty-four  years.     He   died   May    12,   1858.     Unas- 

*  Dr.  Todd  was  practising  in  West  Brandywine  Township  in  1800, 
but  in  what  part  or  how  long,  the  writer  has  been  unable  to  learn. 


TX    "Tin:    FORKS    OF    IHtAXDYWIXE."  213 

Burning  and  attentive  to  those  who  needed  medical 
aid,  Dr.  Griffith  was  much  esteemed  as  a  physician 
and  respected  as  a  friend  and  a  neighbor. 

Dr.  John  M'Calmont,  who,  in  1810,  settled  near 
Waynesburg,  in  the  Western  part  of  the  congregation, 
practised  with  much  ability  and  success  until  a  few 
years  before  his  death,  in  1870.  Like  his  contempo- 
rary, Dr.  Griffith,  he  enjoyed  the  entire  confidence  of 
the  community. 

In  1818,  Dr.  Isaac  Pennington,  a  well-read  physi- 
cian, who  had  been  a  surgeon  in  the  Army  of  the 
United  States  during  the  last  War  with  England,  lo- 
cated a  little  below  Waynesbnrg.  He  soon  obtained 
a  lucrative  practice,  which  he  retained  until  his  re- 
moval, in  1832,  to  one  of  the  Southern  States.  After 
an  absence  of  several  years  he  returned,  and  remained 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  his  death,  near 
Compassville,  May  ('»,  184<>. 

Dr.  Joseph  F.  Grier,  a  younger  brother  of  Elder 
James  K.  Grier,  finished  his  medical  studies  in  1828. 
Dr.  Grier  erected  the  building  lately  owned  by  Mrs. 
Agnes  Happersett,  in  which  he  resided  and  gave  the 
community  the  benefit  of  his  medical  skill,  until  the 
Fall  of  18o7.  He  then  removed  to  Lewisburg,  Union 
County,  where  he  continued  in  the  discharge  of  his 
professional  duties  until  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
in  February,  1858. 

About  three  years  after  the  withdrawal  of  Dr.  Grier, 
Dr.  A.  K.Gaston  removed  from  Easton,  Pa.,  to  where 
he  lately  resided,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. Being  not  only  an  able  physician,  but  also  a 
gentleman  of  general   culture,  he  was  soon  in  the  en- 


214       BISTORT?    OF    ill  1     PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

joyment  of  an  extensive  practice,  which  he  retained 
until  his  death,  Decemher  22,  1882. 

Dr.  Nathan  G.  Thompson,  eldest  son  of  the  late 
Dr.  Thompson,  a  prominent  physician  of  Fagg's 
Manor,  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr. 
A.  K.  Gaston,  and  after  his  graduation,  February  28, 
1852,  engaged  in  tin1  practice  of  his  profession,  in 
which  he  has  been  eminently  successful.  He  is  now 
the  principal  physician  actively  engaged  within  the 
hounds  of  the  congregation. 

Dr.  Isaac  Gibson,  about  1786,  and  Dr.  Effinger 
Happersett,  about  1816,  commenced  the  practice  of 
medicine;  but  as  neither  of  them  had  received  a  med- 
ical education  they  were  not  largely  patronized. 

Such  is  a  brief  record  of  the  laborious,  self-denying, 
and,  in  many  instances,  gifted  men,  who  have  practised 
the  healing  art  within  the  varying  bounds  of  this  con- 
gregation, during  the  last  hundred  and  twenty-five 
years. 

It  is  a  meagre  and  imperfect  sketch,  but  should  it  be 
considered  strange  that  it  is  so,  when  even  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  cannot 
furnish  a  complete  list  of  its  graduates  prior  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  present  century,  when  degrees  began  to 
he  annually  conferred  ?  * 


*  MS.  Collections. 


IN    "  THE    FORKS    OF    BRAXDYWINE."  21  5 


GRAVEYARDS. 


Owing  to  their  situation  at  a  different  level  along 
the  Turnpike  Koad,  the  graveyards  belonging  to  this 
church  were  named  accordingly;  the  one  South  of 
that  Road  being  generally  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Upper  Graveyard,  while  the  one  North  of  the  same 
highway  is  usually  called  the  Lower  Graveyard. 

UPPER     GRAVEYARD. 

Shortly  after  the  erection  of  the  first  Meeting- 
House,  a  piece  of  land  immediately  to  the  East  of 
that  building  was  appropriated  for  a  burial-place. 
This  continued  to  be  used  as  the  graveyard  until  that 
Meeting- House  was  abandoned.  The  burial-ground 
was  then  enlarged,  chiefly  by  extending  it  towards  the 
South  and  East,  and  enclosed  by  a  board  fence.  In 
1794  or  1795  it  was  again  enlarged,  and  the  board 
fence  replaced  by  a  stone  wall. 

The  entrance,  which  was  on  the  North  side,  next  to 
the  public  Road,  remained  thereuntil  1822,  when  the 
marble  posts  and  iron  gate,  still  in  use,  were  procured 
by  the  late  General  Matthew  Stanly.  The  entrance 
was  then  placed  where  it  now  is,  on  the  Eastern  side 
of  the  burial-ground,  and  near  to  the  church  building. 

In  18 o3,  mainly  through  the  exertions  of  Elder 
James  K.  Grier,  another  addition  was  made  to  this 


216      HISTORY   OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    <  IIURCH 

graveyard.     The  wall  was  also  repaired,  and  a  gate- 
way placed  on  the  Southwestern  side. 

At  presenl  this  burial-place  is  an  irregular  six- 
sided  plot  of  ground,  containing  about  two  acres,  and 
from  the  dryness  of  the  soil  and  the  absence  of  sub- 
stances which  vender  excavation  difficult,  is  admirably 
adapted  to  the  purpose. 

For  upwards  of  three-quarters  of  a  century  after  it 
had  been  set  apart  as  a  burial-ground,  the  remains  of 
a  suicide  were  not  permitted  to  be  interred  within  its 
limits.  But  the  custom,  derived  from  a  barbarous  age, 
of  denying  the  usual  rites  of  burial  to  those  who  had 
died  by  their  own  hand,  gave  place  to  more  enlight- 
ened and  Christian  sentiments. 

The  first  lettered  headstones  placed  in  this  yard  are 
those  at  the  graves  of  Mrs.  Jane  Sterling  and  the  in- 
fant children  of  Mr.  Carmichael,  although  they  were 
not  the  first  persons  buried  within  this  enclosure. 
These  stones  were  prepared  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  then 
the  rival  of  Philadelphia.* 

Until  a  recent  period  no  record  of  the  interments 
was  kept,  and  many  of  those  buried  there  sleep  with- 
out even  an  unlettered  stone  to  mark  their  last  resting- 
place-t  It  is,  therefore,  impossible  to  ascertain  how 
many  have  been  buried  in  this  graveyard.  Taking 
the  average  at  twenty-five  annually,— and  some  years 
it  was  much  greater, — the  whole  number  cannot  he  less 

*  The  oldest  tombstones  are  those  which  cover  the  remains  of  the 
first  proprietor  of  Springtou  Forge,  Robert  M'Conaughy,  and  of  his 
wife  and  son.  The  firsl  monument,  except  a  very  small  one,  was 
erected  about  1840,  by  General  Stanly,  in  memory  of  bis  wife. 

f  See  Appendix  K. 


IN  "  THE  FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE."     217 

than  three  thousand  five  hundred.  Among  them  are 
the  remains  of  the  Rev.  John  Carmichael,  the  Rev. 
Nathan  ( rrier,  the  Rev.  John  W.  Grier,  the  Rev.  J.  N. 
C.  Grier,  D.D.,  of  more  than  twenty  who  were  Ruling 
Elders  in  this  church,  and  of  several  who  fought,  and 
sonic  who  fell  in  the  Revolutionary  and  other  national 
conflicts. 

Unfortunately,  no  plan  has  been  followed  in  the  in- 
terments, each  member  of  the  congregation  having, 
in  most  instances,  selected  his  family  burial-place  as 
he  thought  proper,  and  therefore  the  attraction  which 
regularity  would  have  added  to  the  naturally  beauti- 
ful site  cannot  be  obtained. 

This  burial-ground  is  now  furrowed  with  graves  and 
white  with  the  memorials  which  affection  has  placed  to 
perpetuate  the  names  and  the  virtues  of  the  departed, 
and  only  a  few  years  can  pass  before  another  ad- 
dition to  it  will  be  required.*  But  whatever  the  ex- 
tension may  be,  or  however  great  the  number  which 
will  be  laid  there  to  await  the  Second  Coming  of 
the  Son  of  Man,  we  have  'the  pleasing  assurance 
that  it  will  never  be  desecrated.  The  recent  erec- 
tion of  a  large  and  costly  Meeting-House  adjoining- 
it,  and  the  determination  which  has  been  shown  by 
the  present  members  of  the  congregation  to  keep  the 
fire  continually  burning  which  was  kindled  on  the 
altar  in  the  wilderness  by  their  forefathers,  are  guar- 
antees for  its  preservation.     No  greedy  owner  of  ad- 


*  It  has  recently  been  enlarged  by  an  extension  south.  The  new 
enclosure  has  been  laid  out  in  lots  and  arranged  in  accordance  with 
the  plan  of  modern  cemeteries. 

15 


1218       BISTORT    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

jacenl  Land  will  be  permitted  to  call  it  his  own,  nor 
the  hand  of  an  unfeeling  husbandman  he  allowed  to 
remove  the  memorials  of  the  departed,  and  change 
places,  often  wet  by  the  tears  of  sorrow  and  affection, 
into  cultivated  fields.  That  such  an  event  mighl 
occur  may  seem  to  many  the  offspring  of  a  highly- 
wrought  imagination.  An  examination,  however, 
would  show  them  that  covetousness  and  vandalism 
have  removed  every  trace  of  several  graveyards  which 
belonged  to  Presbyterian  Churches  established  at  an 
early  period  in  Lancaster,  Berks,  Dauphin,  and  other 
counties. 

LOWER    GRAVEYARD. 

When  those  who  withdrew  from  Mr.  Black's  con- 
gregation and  placed  themselves  under  the  direction 
of  the  Synod  of  New  Brunswick  built  their  Meeting- 
House,  they  set  apart  a  portion  of  the  land  which  they 
had  obtained  for  a  burial-ground,  and  it  is  still  used 
for  that  purpose.  Among  the  first  interred  in  this 
graveyard  was  their  lamented  pastor,  the  Bev.  William 
Dean.  The  tombstone  which  covers  his  remains  was 
probably  placed  there  several  years  after  his  death. 
There  are  circumstances  which  lead  to  the  conclusion 
that  his  age  is  incorrectly  stated.  It  bears  an  earlier 
date  than  any  memorial  stone  in  either  graveyard. 

This  graveyard,  which  occupies  a  rectangular  space 
of  about  half  an  acre,  was  enclosed  by  a  stone  wall  in 
1796.  It  has  remained  without  any  enlargement, 
except  a  small  extension  on  the  Southern  side  in  1860, 
when  the  wall  was  also  repaired  and  capped  with 
flag-stone.<. 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."  219 

Iii  1821  the  iron  gate  and  marble  posts  at  the 
entrance  were  placed  there,  in  accordance  with  the 
wrill  of  Isaac  Smith,  who  also  left  a  small  sum  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  the  yard  and  its  surroundings  in 
a  proper  condition. 

Like  the  Upper  Graveyard,  this  burial-ground 
jwssesses  the  advantages  of  dryness  of  soil  and  of 
freedom  from  obstructions  beneath  the  surface;  but 
owing,  probably,  to  its  greater  distance  from  the 
Church  building,  the  interments  in  it  have  been  much 
fewer  than  in  the  other  burial-place. 

The  Lower  Graveyard,  the  Meeting-House  which 
then  stood  near  it,  and  the  whole  of  the  ground,  for 
which  payment  was  made  by  Mr.  Dean  only  the  May 
before  his  death,  became  after  the  Union  the  property 
of  the  United  Congregation.  It,  together  with  the 
land  previously  obtained,  still  remains  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Church.* 

*  Local  Memoranda ;  Reminiscences  of  aged  Residents. 


220       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAX    CHURCH 


MISCELLANEOUS  ITEMS. 


Sixty  years  ago  but  four  vehicles  could  be  seen  at 
the  Manor  Meeting-House  on  the  Sabbath,  and  these 
were  the  old-fashioned  two-wheeled  gig,  with  leather 
springs,  A  majority  of  the  congregation  came  afoot, 
the  rest  on  horseback.  For  convenience  in  mounting 
and  alighting,  "upping  blocks"  were  placed  under 
almost  every  shade-tree  or  place  suitable  for  the  stand- 
ing of  horses.  Fans  were  commonly  used,  umbrellas 
were  few,  and  parasols  almost  unknown. 

The  pews  until  quite  a  recent  period  were  personal 
property,  and  generally  owned  by  those  who  occupied 
them  on  the  Sabbath.  Sometimes  when  the  owner 
did  not  need  the  whole  of  his  pew,  he  either  sold  a 
part  or  rented  it  to  those  who  were  unable  to  obtain 
sitting,  as  it  was  called,  elsewhere.  On  one  occasion, 
the  creditors  of  a  man,  who  had  become  bankrupt, 
seized  and  sold  his  pew,  but  instances  of  such  rapacity 
were  rare. 

Owing  to  the  nearness  of  the  turnpike  road  to  the 
meeting-house,  the  noise  occasioned  by  heavy  vehicles 
passing  along  the  rough  highway  on  the  Sabbath  was 
frequently  a  source  of  great  annoyance.  During  the 
period  thai  the  turnpike  road  was  the  principal  route 
for  the  transportation  of  merchandise  to  Pittsburg 
and  other  Western  cities,  the  disturbance  caused  by 
the  heavily-loaded  wagons,  often  closely  following  one 


in  "the  forks  of  brandy  wink."         221 

another,  was  so  great  as  sometimes  to  interrupt  public 
worship.  A  number  of  the  teamsters  were  arrested 
and  fined  for  pursuing  their  occupation  on  the  Lord's 
Day,  but  this  proceeding  rather  increased  than  dimin- 
ished the  evil,  as  after  that  many  of  them  made  it  an 
object  to  pass  along  the  road  during  divine  service. 

In  1798  the  school-house  on  the  church  properly, 
on  account  of  its  size,  and  being  near  to  the  point 
where  the  three  townships  of  West  Nantmeal,  Honey- 
brook,  and  West  Brandywine  joined,  was  selected 
for  holding  the  annual  election.  As  political  contests 
wrere  then  conducted  with  a  bitterness  and  a  resort  to 
personal  violence  now  comparatively  rare,  much  oc- 
curred on  "  election  day"  which  ill  comported  with 
the  sacredness  of  the  place.  Fighting  was  not  un- 
common. Ardent  Democrats  and  Federalists  did  not 
hesitate  to  use  staffs  and  clubs  as  "  knock-down  argu- 
ments." The  liquor-stands  caused  the  steps  of  many 
to  become  unsteady.  Boisterous  and  profane  language 
wras  freely  used,  and  altogether  a  scene  was  presented 
in  sickening  contrast  with  the  precepts  of  that  Gospel 
at  whose  advent  was  proclaimed,  Peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  to  man.  Finally  the  impropriety  of  using 
any  of  the  property  belonging  to  the  congregation  for 
a  secular  purpose  which  was  attended  with  disorder  and 
contention,  became  so  manifest  that  another  place  was 
selected  where  the  citizens  of  the  three  townships 
could  meet,  wrangle,  and  east  their  votes. 

The  salaries  of  clergymen  during  many  years  were 
low,  and  after  making  allowance  for  the  difference  in 
the  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  when  compared 
with  the  cost  of  like  articles  at  the  present  time,  it  is 


222       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

often  difficult  at  first  sight  to  understand  how  they  ac- 
quired property  as  many  of  them  did.  This  difficulty 
is  due  to  overlooking  the  fact  that  the  amount  promised 
as  salary  was  but  a  part,  and  frequently  the  smallest 
part,  of  what  was  received.  The  farmers  in  the  Fall, 
especially,  did  not  forget  to  furnish  the  minister  with 
flour,  potatoes,  wood,  meat,  and  in  some  instances 
material  for  clothing,  sufficient  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  year ;  those,  too,  who  expected  to  call  occasionally 
at  the  manse,  generally  included  among  their  gifts  a 
keg  of  peach-brandy,  then  a  much-esteemed  beverage. 

Another  source  of  income  was  marriages.  As  a 
marriage  performed  by  a  magistrate  was  generally 
considered  less  respectable,  and  by  some  less  binding 
than  when  it  was  solemnized  by  a  minister,  well- 
known  clergymen  were  called  upon  to  perform  the 
interesting  ceremony  not  only  by  members  of  their 
own  congregation,  but  by  many  others.  On  these 
occasions,  although  the  bride  frequently  adjusted  her 
attire  by  the  aid  of  a  pail  of  water  as  a  looking-glass, 
and  the  thoughtful  bridegroom  carried  in  rude  sad- 
dle-bags "  a  bite  for  the  horses"  during  the  delay  at 
the  parson's,  yet  those  who  rewarded  the  pastor  with 
less  than  a  one-pound  note  were  commonly  regarded 
as  having  made  a  bad  start  on  the  road  to  connubial 
happiness. 

Psalm-books  being  scarce  and  some  of  the  congre- 
gation being  unable  to  read,  the  precentor  or  clerk 
usually  lined  the  psalm ;  that  is,  he  read  two  lines 
aloud,  and  when  these  had  been  sung,  the  next  two, 
until  the  conclusion  of  the  exercise.  This  man- 
ner of  conducting   the  singing  was  continued  long 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywine."         223 

after  the  necessity  for  it  had  ceased.  During  the 
pastorate  of  the  Kev.  Nathan  Grier,  Watts's  Psalms 
and  Hymns  became  the  text-book,  much  to  the  dis- 
satisfaction of  the  older  members  of  the  congregation. 
This,  as  is  well  known,  has  been  forced  to  give  place 
in  many  churches  to  the  Hymnal,  for  what  reason  is 
difficult  to  discover.  If  the  sturdy  founders  of  Pres- 
byterianism  and  their  immediate  descendants  adhered 
somewhat  tenaciously  to  an  almost  literal  translation 
of  the  inspired  anthems  of  the  "  man  after  God's  own 
heart,"  the  Presbyterians  of  the  present  day  have 
gone  to  the  opposite  extreme  in  discarding  even  the 
title,  and  to  a  great  extent  the  songs,  of  "  the  sweet 
singer  of  Israel." 

The  names  of  but  a  few  of  those  who  "  led  the  sing- 
ing" have  been  preserved.  Mr.  Benjamin  McClure 
was  precentor  during  a  considerable  part  of  the  Rev. 
Nathan  Grier's  pastorate.  Major  George  Dorian  also 
officiated  until  near  his  decease,  in  1829.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  William  Forrest.  For  more  than 
thirty  years  the  singing  was  conducted  by  Elder  John 
Ralston.  After  the  remodelling  of  the  Meeting- 
House  in  1839,  the  choir  was  seated  in  the  front  of 
the  gallery,  instead  of  at  the  base  of  the  pulpit  The 
introduction  of  the  choir  was  considered  quite  an  in- 
novation on  time-honored  custom,  but  within  the  Lasl 
few  years  the  departure  from  Puritan  simplicity  has 
been  further  increased  by  invoking  the  aid  of  instru- 
mental music. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  Presbyterian  Church  never 
dies.  While  this  is  true  in  the  main,  and  especially 
in  Chester  County,  where  the  number  of  Presbyterian 


224       HISTORY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH 

Churches  has  been  nearly  doubled  during  the  pre- 
sent century,  yet  a  change  in  the  location  of  meet- 
ing-houses lias  become  manifest.  This  is  seen  not  only 
in  the  erection  of  buildings  for  public  worship  where 
uone  previously  existed,  but  also  in  the  replacing  of 
old  meeting-houses  by  new.  There  being  no  villages, 
the  first  settlers  generally  erected  their  church  edifices 
on  high  ground,  and 

"The  decent  church  that  topped  the  neighboring  hill" 

could  be  seen  here  as  well  as  in  the  fatherland.  But 
the  march  of  improvement  has  caused  the  new  meet- 
ing-house in  many  instances  to  be  placed  at  a  distance 
from  the  site  occupied  by  the  one  first  erected.  The 
employment  of  water-power,  the  advantage  of  streams 
for  navigation,  and  of  railways  which  necessarily  pass 
where  the  least  grade  must  be  overcome,  have  caused 
cities  and  villages  to  spring  up  in  valleys  and  low 
grounds.  Hence  new  meeting-houses,  whenever  it 
can  be  done,  are  placed  where  easiness  of  access  by 
the  present  means  of  travel  is  most  readily  obtained. 
This  change  of  site,  while  it  has  often  been  a  means 
of  increasing  the  number  in  attendance,  and  in  some 
instances  has  saved  weak  churches  from  being  dis- 
banded, has  also  caused  a  neglect  of  the  graveyard 
connected  with  the  first  meeting-house.  New  burial- 
places  are  sought,  and  the  enclosure  where  the  re- 
mains of  the  founders  of  the  church  were  laid  is  too 
frequently  left  with  no  Old  Mortality  to  restore  the 
time-worn  epitaphs  on  its  tombstones,  or  Nehemiah  to 
rebuild  the  broken-down  walls  of  the  "city  of  the 
dead." 


IN   "the  forks  OF  BRANDYW  IN  I  ."  225 

Before  the   Revolution,   and   years  afterward,  the 
cocked  hat,  knee-breeches,  and   silver   shoe-buckles 
extending  across  the  foot  were  the  favorite  cost  nine  of 
the  elderly  and  middle-aged  gentlemen  of  the  con- 
gregation.    The  hat  was  three-cornered,  one  corner 
being  on   each    side   in    front,  and   another    usually 
adorned  with  a  tassel  behind.     As  breeds  lefi   the 
part  extending  from  the  knee  to  the  ankle  exposed, 
those  who  were  not  furnished  with  well-proportioned 
limbs  frequently  attempted  to  remedy  the  defect  by 
placing  a  pad  or  bandage  on  the  back  part  of  the  ex- 
posed member.     But  this,  like  many  attempts  al  im- 
provement, sometimes  failed.    The  pad  would  become 
displaced  and  mar  the  appearance,  instead  of  adding 
to  the  proportions  of  the  part  which  it" was  intended 
to  aid.     The  face  was  close  shaven,  but  a  part  of  the 
hair  of  the  head  was  allowed  to  acquire  its  full  length. 
This  was  plaited  or  surrounded  by  a  ribbon  and  per- 
mitted to  hang  down  the  back.     It  was  not  unlike  the 
Chinese  appendage  euphoniously  styled  a  pig-tail,  ex- 
cept that  it  depended  from  the  back  of  the  head  in- 
stead of  from  the  top.     As  the  hair  in  the  queue,  as  it 
was  called,  required  oiling  occasionally,  in  the  course 
of  time  it  imparted  a  shining  appearance  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  well-worn  coat. 

The  ladies  generally  attended  meeting  dressed  in  a 
short  gown  not  unlike  the  modern  sacque,  and  another 
article  of  dress  which  has  given  the  prefix  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  those  ladies  who  usurp  the  control  of  the 
household.  On  this  part  of  the  attire  the  most  care 
was  bestowed,  and  the  variety  and  brilliancy  of  its 
colors  was  often  the  pride  of  the  wearer.     The  hair 


226      HISTORY   OF   THE   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 

which  was  not  permitted  to  fall  over  the  hack,  was 
covered  by  a  sufficiently  capacious,  plain  bonnet, 
which  added  to  instead  of  detracting  from  the  mod- 
esty of  the  wearer.  Rings  on  the  fingers  were  not 
common,  and  appendages  from  the  ears  were  rarely 
seen.  Even  after  these  fashions,  derived  from  the 
fatherland,  had  passed  away,  almost  every  one  was 
attired  in  clothing  of  domestic  manufacture.  The 
"  Sunday  suit"  was  made  to  last  as  long  as  possible, 
and  when  it  had  been  obtained  by  those  who  had  not 
reached  their  full  growth,  the  care  with  which  it  had 
been  preserved  was  shown  by  its  failure  to  cover  a  por- 
tion of  the  arms  and  lower  extremities  of  the  wearer. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Church  until  the  es- 
tablishment of  Sunday-Schools  rendered  them,  in  a 
measure,  unnecessary,  public  examinations  of  the 
children  wdiose  parents  belonged  to  the  congregation 
were  annually  made  by  the  pastor.  These  examina- 
tions, directed  mainly  to  ascertaining  the  familiarity 
of  the  young  with  the  Shorter  Catechism,  and  their 
knowledge  of  religious  truth,  were  occasions  of  inter- 
est and  benefit  to  both  the  children  and  their  parents. 
The  latter  being  forcibly  reminded  of  the  duties  de- 
volving upon  them,  and  the  former  aided  in  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  Scriptures  and  the  doctrines 
taught  and  maintained  by  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

After  the  ingathering  of  the  Summer  crops,  a  day 
was  appointed  to  return  thanks  for  the  blessings  of 
plenty  and  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  that  seed- 
time and  harvest  should  never  fail.  The  day  of  the 
month  was  not  always  the  same,  but  the  day  of  the 
week  was  invariably  Thursday.     Why  Thursday  and 


IN  "the  forks  of  brandywixe."  227 

no  other  day  was  selected  is  difficult  to  ascertain.  It 
is  most  likely  connected  with  some  of  those  linger- 
ing superstitions  respecting  lucky  and  unlucky  days 
which  held  such  a  conspicuous  place  in  heathen  my- 
thology, and  which  have  not  been  entirely  banished 
from  Christian  communities.  The  number  is  not  so 
small  as  many  suppose  who  still  regard  Friday  as  an 
unlucky  day,  and  it  is  but  recently  that  the  execution 
of  criminals  ceased  to  be  ordered  on  that  day  of  the 
week  exclusively.  It  was  probably  owing  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Puritans  and  Presbyterians  that  Governors 
of  States  and  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  Union*  have 
always  selected  Thursday  for  the  day  of  State  and 
National  thanksgiving.  The  custom  so  becoming  an 
agricultural  community  of  appointing  a  thanksgiving 
after  the  harvest  has  been  gathered  is  still  observed 
by  the  congregation. 

The  Communion  was  held  twice  a  year,  in  May  and 
in  October.  The  Sabbath  immediately  preceding  the 
administration  of  the  ordinances  was  called  the  prepa- 
ration Sabbath.  On  Friday  of  the  same  week,  which 
was  commonly  observed  as  a  Fast  Day,  there  were  re- 
ligious exercises,  and  also  on  Saturday  and  Monday. 
On  the  Sacrament  Sabbath  some  pastor  of  a  neighbor- 
ing congregation  usually  assisted,  and  after  a  sermon 
by  the  minister  in  charge  the  sacrament  was  adminis- 
tered. The  communicants  seated  themselves  at  tables 
placed  in  the  aisles,  and,  as  the  number  was  generally 

*  A  national  thanksgiving  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  in 
1863,  and  his  example  has  been  followed  by  each  of  his  successors. 
A  thanksgiving  was  first  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania 
in  1843. 


228       BISTORT?    OF   THE    PRKSI1YTKKI  AN    CHURCH 

too  Large  to  be  seated  at  one  table,  those  first  seated, 
after  the  elements  had  been  served,  retired,  and  others 
took  their  places,  so  thai  there  were  frequently  three 
or  four  tables.  Every  one  entitled  to  participate 
was  furnished  with  a  token,  as  it  was  called.  This 
Was  a  small  square  piece  of  lead  with  the  letter  C 
(Communicant)  stamped  upon  it.  These  were  taken 
u I »  by  the  members  of  the  Session  after  those  desir- 
ing to  commune  had  seated  themselves  in  the  aisle. 
Before  commencing  to  serve  the  tables,  an  invitation 
was  always  given  by  the  pastor  to  those  who  were  in 
good  standing  in  other  orthodox  denominations  to  unite 
with  the  members  of  his  charge  in  commemorating 
the  suffering  and  death  of  their  common  Saviour. 

During  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
into  Old  and  New  School,  Dr.  Grier  and  his  congrega- 
tion remained  with  the  Old  Side.  Unlike  the  schism 
of  1741,  the  division  of  1837  was  a  division  of 
churches,  but  rarely  of  congregations. 

In  1838  the  Meeting-House  was  broken  into,  and 
the  Communion  Service,  hymn-books,  and  whatever 
could  be  conveniently  carried  were  taken,  and  the 
furniture  damaged.  The  perpetrators  of  the  sacrilege 
were  never  detected. 

For  sixty  years  after  the  erection  of  the  Meeting- 
House  the  congregation  was  dependent  for  water  on 
,i  spring  several  hundred  yards  distant.  In  1794, 
chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  the  Rev.  Nathan 
Grier,  a  well  was  sunk  near  the  church  building.  As 
the  situation  is  elevated  and  the  well  consequently 
(hep.  it  was  used  for  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  century 
as  a  draw-well. 


IN    "  THE    FORKS    OF    BRAND  YWTIXE."  221) 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  last  year  a  long-need  ed 
improvement  was  made  by  the  erection,  at  a  cost  of 
but  little  exceeding  one  thousand  dollars,  of  thirty-five 
sheds,  each  nine  feet  by  twenty,  for  the  sheltering  of 
horses  and  vehicles. 

That  the  first  settlers  were  consistent  members  of 
the  church,  and  esteemed  by  their  neighbors  and 
acquaintances  in  their  native  land,  is  shown  by  the 
following  certificate,  which  is  a  specimen  of  many  that 
were  brought  by  those  who  came  to  America  to  better 
their  circumstances  and  enjoy  the  liberty  to  worship 
God  without  "  let  or  hindrance"  : 

Whereas  the  bearers  here  of  John  long  &  his  wife  design  for 
America,  these  are  to  Certifie  that  they  have  lived  in  this  Congrega- 
tion the  most  part  of  their  time  and  still  behaved  themselves  Soberly, 
and  now  at  their  departure  from  hence  are  free  of  all  publick  Scandall 
known  to  us.  as  wittness  my  hand  this  8th  of  July  1736. 

SAML  DUNLAP. 

Letterkenny,  Ireland. 

This  closes  an  imperfect  history  of  a  church  which 
during  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  has  been  a  beacon- 
light  guiding  to  the  haven  of  eternal  safety.  When 
those  who  attend  the  weekly  services  of  its  sanctuary 
shall  meet  to  celebrate  the  three  hundreth  anniversary 
of  the  organization  of  a  church  in  this  portion  of 
Xioii,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  will  have  been 
added  to  the  list  of  centuries,  and  all  now  living,  their 
children,  and  their  children's  children  will  have  made 
the  pilgrimage  journey  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

That  long  interval  now  the  unwritten  future  will 
then  be  the  recorded  past.     A  past  in  which  they  will 


230       HISTORY   OF    THE    PKESBTTEBTAN    CHURCH. 

devoutly  recognize,  as  "we  do,  the  guiding  hand  of  the 
God  of  their  fathers.  A  past  which  will  contain 
many  memorials  of  faithful  pastors,  of  sincere  worship- 
pers, and  of  sons  and  daughters  of  the  church  who 
aided  in  diffusing  the  cheering  light  of  the  Gospel  in 
the  now  benighted  regions  of  Asia,  Africa,  and  the 
islands  of  the  Ocean. 


APPENDIX. 


A. 

To  all  Charitable  and  well  Disposed  Persons  to  whom  thrs  presents 
may  Come : 

The  Petition  of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  in  the 
Forks  of  Brandywine 

Humbly  showeth  :  That  your  petitioners  have  lately  ben  brought 
as  a  Society,  into  afflictive  and  Trying  Circumstances,  By  our  Meet- 
ing house,  an  excellent  and  Commodious  billding  Beeing  Beduced  to 
ashes,  Shortly  after  the  Death  of  our  Revd  Pastor — We  wish  to  have 
the  public  worship  of  God,  Decently  and  Profitable  Conducted 
amonghst  us,  in  order  to  which  the  Erection  of  a  house  of  Worship 
is  Necessary.  But  by  reason  of  the  Scarcity  of  Cash  ;  and  the  Sev- 
eral heave  taxes  we  have  paid  and  have  To  pay  we  ar  Rendered  unable 
to  attain  that  valuable  object  without  the  assistance  of  our  Christian 
Brethren  in  other  places.  We  must  hope  for  Success  in  our  address 
to  the  Inhabitants  of  a  Christian  Country  who  know  that  Charity 
and  compassion  to  the  afflicted  is  the  very  Image  of  the  Saviour,  that 
God  loveth  a  cheerful  Giver  and  promiseth  that  those  who  Caste  their 
Bread  on  the  waters,  shall  find  it  after  many  Days :  We  therefore 
Relying  on  your  Goodness  and  Generosity  most  Respectfully  and 
Humbly  request  your  kind  assistance. 

Signed  in  the  Name  of  the  Society  By  us  the  Trustees  of  the  Con- 
gregation. 

Samuel  Cunningham,       David  Denny, 
Jno.  Culbertson,  Jas.  Dunwodies, 

Jas.  McClure,  William  Anderson, 

Robt.  Lockhart. 

Forks  of  Brandywine,  March  7,  1786. 

231 


•_':;•_!  appendix. 


B. 


CEREMONIES    AT    THE    LAYING    OF    THE    CORNER- 

STOXK    OK  TIIK  NEW  CHURCH    EDIFICE,  AUGUST 
7,  1875. 

The  exercises  were  opeoed  with  an  impressive  prayer  by  the  Rev. 
J.  N.  C.  Grier,  D.D. ;  a  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Church,  prepared  by 
a  former  member,  was  then  read  by  the  pastor,  Mr.  McColl,  and  short 
addresses  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Roberts,  Totheroth,  Hollifield, 
and  Collier,  pastors  of  the  Churches  organized  originally  either  wholly 
or  in  part  by  members  of  the  Manor  Church. 

The  Box  deposited  in  the  Corner-Stone  contained  a  copy  of  the 
New  Testament,  a  Hymn-Book,  Historical  Sketch  above  mentioned, 
Historical  Discourse,  and  Semi-Century  Sermon  of  Dr.  Grier,  a  list 
of  the  Church  Officers,  the  Act  of  Incorporation,  and  specimens  of 
the  Silver  Coins  struck  in  1875,  presented  by  ex-Governor  Pollock, 
Director  of  the  United  States  Mint,  the  different  Postage-Stamps,  a 
Letter  and  Postal  Card  to  our  Children's  Children,  and  a  copy  of  each 
of  the  following  periodicals:  The  Presbyterian  Weekly,  Presbyterian 
Banner^  Woman's  Work  for  Woman,  The  Tillage  Record,  Jcffer- 
sonian.  Daily  Local,  and  North  American  Gazette* 


c. 

PLAN  OF  SCHOOL  AT  NEW  LONDON. 

ESTABLISHED    IN   1714   BY   THE   SYNOD   OF   PHILADELPHIA. 

1.  That  all  persons  who  please  may  send  their  children  and  have 
them  instructed  gratis  in  the  languages,  philosophy,  and  divinity. 

2.  That  the  school  be  supported  by  yearly  contributions  from 
the  congregations  under  their  care. 

:;.  That  if  any  funds  remain  after  paying  the  salaries  of  the  Mas- 
ter and  Tutor,  they  shall  be  expended  in  the  purchase  of  books  and 
other  necessaries  for  the  school. 


Church  Records:  Local  Memoranda. 


APPENDIX.  233 

The  Rev.  Francis  Allison,  D.D.  *  subsequently  Vice-Provost  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  successor  of  Andrews  as  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  who  had  opened  an  Academy 
near  the  village  three  years  before,  was  appointed  Master  at  a  yearly 
salary  of  20£  (S53.33J)  Pennsylvania  Currency. 

This  school  became  justly  celebrated.  Besides  furnishing  the 
church  with  well-educated  ministers,  it  afforded  instruction  to  many 
who  became  eminent  as  statesmen  and  scholars.  Among  its  pupils 
were  Charles  Thomson,  Secretary  of  the  Continental  Congress,  and 
author  of  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament  remarkable  for  its 
fidelity;  Rev.  John  Ewing,  D.D.,  Provost  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania; David  Ramsay,  the  Historian;  Hugh  Williamson,  M.D., 
LL.D.,  a  distinguished  patriot  and  miscellaneous  writer;  Rev.  James 
Latta,  D.D.,  an  eminent  divine  and  teacher ;  George  Reed  and  James 
Smith,  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence ;  Thomas  McKean, 
nine  years  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  one  of  the  seven  natives  of 
Chester  County  on  whom  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  has  been 
conferred. 

Although  the  school  was  under  Presbyterian  control,  it  afforded 
gratuitous  instruction  of  a  high  order  to  all  denominations  alike.f 


*  Dr.  Allison  died  November  28,  1770,  and  his  remains  were  interred 
in  the  burial-ground  adjoining  the  First  Presbyterian  Mecting-House 
erected  in  Pennsylvania.  That  Mceting-IIouse,  commonly  known  by 
the  name  of  Old  Buttonwood,  stood  at  the  Southeast  corner  of  Bank  and 
Market  Streets,  Philadelphia.  It  was  built  in  1704,  rebuilt  in  1794, 
abandoned  and  sold  in  1821-22.  The  burial-ground  remained  until 
about  1810,  when  the  dead  of  a  hundred  years  were  removed  and  its  site 
occupied  by  warehouses.  The  first  Presbyterian  Church  in  America 
was  built  at  Snowhill,  Md.,  in  1685. 

f  Minutes  of  Synod  of  Philadelphia;  Rev.  R,  Dubois,  "Hist.  New 
London  Pres.  Church;"  "  Biography  of  Eminent  Pennsylvanians." 


16 


234  APPENDIX. 


D. 


COMMENDATORY  LETTER  GIVEN  ADAM  BOYD  BY 
COTTON  MATHER. 

Boston,  N.  E.,  June  10,  1724. 

Our  worthy  friend,  Mr.  Adam  Boyd,  being  on  a  return  to  Europe, 
it  is  hereby  certified  on  his  behalf,  that  for  the  years  of  his  late  so- 
journing in  these  parts  of  the  world,  his  behavior,  so  far  as  we  under- 
stand, has  been  inoffensive  and  commendable,  and  such  as  hath  justi- 
fied the  testimonials  with  which  he  arrived  hither.  And  we  make  no 
doubt  that  he  will  make  a  report  of  the  kind  reception  which  he  and 
others  of  his  and  our  brethren  coming  from  Scotland  and  Ireland 
hither  (whereof  more  than  two  or  three  are  at  this  time  acceptably  ex- 
ercising their  ministry  in  our  churches),  have  found  in  this  country, 
that  will  be  very  contrary  to  the  misrepresentations  which  some  dis- 
turbers of  the  peace  have  given  of  it. 

We  implore  the  blessing  of  our  gracious  Lord  upon  his  person 
and  his  voyage  and  hope  that  wherever  he  may  be  disposed  of,  he  may 
have  the  rewards  and  comforts  of  a  patient  continuance  in  well  doing 
to  attend  him. 


E. 

NAMES  OF  THOSE  WHO  SUBSCRIBED  FOR  THE  SUP- 
PORT OF  MR.  BOYD  WHILE  HE  WAS  PASTOR  OF 
THE  CHURCH  IN  THE   FORKS  OF  BRANDYWINE. 

COPIED  FROM  HIS  MEMORANDUM  BOOK  BY  REV.  A.  B.  CROSS. 

When  Subscription  When  it 

Name.  was  made.  ceased. 

John  Henderson Aug.  11,  1741  L757 

James  Wilson "         "  1758 

Joseph  Mackelduff "         "  1750 

"  Paid    to   his    death,"    in    September, 

1750.     "His  brother,  Samuel,  paid 

up  until  1757." 


APPENDIX.  235 

When  Subscription  When  it 

Name.  Was  made.  ceased. 

Francis  Long Aug.  11,  1741         1752 

Paid  until  1752.     The  last  two  or  three 
years  by  his  brother  Joseph,  he  being 
dead. 
William  Dunbar "         "  1746 

"  When  he  moved  over  the  river"  (the 
Susquehannah). 

Samuel  McKinly "         "  1758 

Edward  Irwin "         "  1756 

"  Paid  by  his  widow  to  1756." 
Robert  Irwin "         "  1758 

"  Paid  by  his  widow  to  1758." 
Patrick  Lockhart "         "  1758 

"  Paid  by  his  widow  to  1758." 
John  Bryan "         "  1758 

"  Paid  by  his  widow  to  1758." 
John  McDermid "         "  1758 

"  Paid  by  his  widow  to  1758." 

Francis  Alexander "         "  1758 

David  Denny "         "  1758 

"  Subscription  doubled  last  five  years." 
Abraham  M'Connell "         "  1751 

"  Moved  over  the  Susquehanna." 
William  Erwin "         " 

"  Increased   his   subscription   in    1749 
and  '50.     Moved  over  the  River." 

James  Stewart "         "  1758 

John  Dunwoody "         "  1758 

William  Wilson "         " 

"  October,  1747,  moved  with  his  friends 
to  Virginia." 
Robert  Steel "         " 

"  Moved  out  of  place." 

James  Porter "         "  1757 

Samuel  Carroll "         "  1750 

"  Moved  to  Virginia." 
Andrew  Donaldson "         "  1758 


236 


APPENDIX. 


When  Subscription  When  it 

was  made.  ceased. 

James  Mitchell -     .     .     Aug.  11,  1741         17-49 

"  Moved  to  Virginia." 
Joseph  Carroll "         "  1755 

"  Moved  to  Carolina." 

George  Irwin "         "  1757 

George  Gordon "         "  1747 

"Moved  October,  1748." 

Andrew  Wilson "  "  1758 

John  White "         "  1758 

James  Love "         "  1T4G 

"  Moved." 
John  Long "         "  1757 

Paid  by  publications  and  riddles,*  ex- 
cept one  year,  until  1757. 

John  Little "         "  1753 

Matthew  McKorkell "         "  1746 

Removed  to  Leacock. 

The  above  Thirty-one  subscribers  appear  to  have  been  those  who 
guaranteed  to  Mr.  Boyd  the  Salary  of  Twenty  Pounds,  when  he  took 
charge  of  the  congregation  in  August,  1741. 

SUBSEQUENT   SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
Name.  Commenced.  Ceased. 

John  Lewis 1742         1758 

William  Ferguson 1742         1758 

George  Ahill Aug.  11,  1744 

"  Died."     Probably  that  year. 

John  Elliott Feb.     3,  1745         1757 

Joseph  Poag Sept.    1,1745         1758 

Alexander  Laverty Nov.    4,  1745         174G 

"  Moved." 

George  Little 1745 

"  Removed." 


*  Tlio  "publications"  were  notices  of  marriages,  which  the  law  re- 
quired to  be  publicly  announced  when  performed  by  a  clergyman.  The 
"riddles"  were  sieves  for  winnowing  mills. 


APPENDIX.  23^ 

Name.  Commenced.  Ceased. 

Francis  Gardiner 1745         1757 

David  Watson April,       1746 

David  Henderson April  14, 1746 

"  In  October,  1747,  he  moved  to  Vir- 
ginia." 
Alexander  Maclean April  27, 1746         1757 

"  Moved  to  Carolina." 

Mary  Darlington Oct.  1746         1758 

William  Mains 1746         1750 

"  Moved  to  Carolina." 

James  Jack 1746  1758 

William  Irwin 1746         1758 

Andrew  Wilson,  Sen 1746         1756 

"  Dead.     Family  Extinct." 

Dougal  Mclntire 1746         1752 

Thomas  Wilson 1746         1757 

John  Wilson 1746 

"  Moved." 

John  M'Clure 1746         1753 

William  Norris 1746 

"  Moved." 

Isaac  McKinly 1746         1752 

"  Moved  over  river." 

John  McCorkle 1746         1748 

"  Moved." 

Hugh  McCrary 1746 

"  Moved  to  Virginia." 

Thomas  Karson 1746         1751 

Elizabeth  Graham  (widow) 1746         1752 

James  Scott 1746         1757 

Hugh  Morrison 1746         1758 

James  Watson 1746         1748 

"  Gone  to  Virginia." 

Robert  Woodrow     .     .     , 1746 

"  Moved  out  of  Congregation." 

Robert  Smith 1747         1758 

John  McHenry March,     1747         1757 


238  APPENDIX. 

Name.  Commenced.  Ceased. 

David  Shearer 17-47 

"  Moved  to  Middle  Octoraro." 
Thomas  McNeal 1747  1751 

"  Moved  over  the  river." 
James  Laird 1747 

"  Removed." 
James  Gibson 1747  1751 

•  Moved  out  of  Congregation." 

John  Gibson 1747  175.") 

Frederick  McCaskie 1747 

Alexander  Maxwell 1747 

"  Absconded." 

1749. 

William  Dunwoody Sept.  1749  1758 

Fraley  McKewan 1749  1752 

"  Moved." 

John  Gardiner 1749  1758 

James  Ross 1749  1758 

John  Harper 1749 

"  Moved  to  Octoraro." 

Samuel  Byers 1749  1757 

William  Little 1749  1758 

James  Ross 1750  Nov.    1751 

George  Ligate 1750  Nov.    1757 

Thomas  Scott 1750  175G 

John  Bell 1750  1754 

Hugh  Shearer 1750  1752 

Jane  Jennings May,  1750  1751 

William  Ratchford Nov.  1750  1751 

"  Moved  to  Carolina." 

John  McFarlane 1750  1752 

George  Robison Oct.    1750  June,  1753 

1751. 

Ludwick  Ligate April  26,  1751         1758 

Cormick  McDermond "         " 

"  Removed." 


APPENDIX.  239 

Name.  Commenced.  Ceased. 

Patrick  Mairork April  26,  1751         1755 

"  He  is  an  apostate." 

1752. 

Robert  Wilson 1752         1756 

Robert  Futbey 1752  1758 

James  Moore May  24,  1752 

No  date  given,  probably  paid  until  1758. 
Tbeopbilus  Irwin "        "1752 

No  date  given,  probably  paid  until  1758. 
Matthew  Harbison 1752 

No  date  given,  probably  paid  until  1758. 
Francis  Gardiner,  Jr 1752 

No  date  given,  probably  paid  until  1758. 
James  and  Robert  McClure 1752 

No  date  given,  probably  paid  until  1758. 

Joseph  Long 1752         1757 

James  Beatty 1752 

No  date  given,  probably  paid  until  1758. 

1753. 
Thomas  Hope May,        1753 

"  Moved  over  the  river." 

Robert  Robinson June  27, 1753         1756 

William  Ross  and  Alexander  Nesbit    .     .  1753         1757 

Andrew  Spence 1753         1757 

"  By  work,  etc.,  to  1757." 

Thomas  Byle 1753         1758 

George  Campbell May,        1753         1754 

"  Moved." 

1754. 

William  Allan 1754 

1755. 

Alexander  Gorden 1755  1758 

"  Part  in  work." 

James  Spence 1755  1757 

Robert  Robison Sept.  15, 1755  1757 

Alexander  Donaldson May  26,1755  1758 

Probably  1758. 


240  APPENDIX. 

Namo.  Comniriii'i'il.  Ceasoil. 

Patrick  Stewart May  26, 1755         1756 

William  Wallace 1755  1758 

Probably  1758. 
John  Withrow 1755         1758 

Probably  1758. 
John  Craige 1755 

"  One  and  a  half  years." 
John  Patterson 1755         1758 

1756. 

John  Smith May,        1756         1757 

Samuel  Byers May  26,  1756         1758 

'•  Robert  Piersol  paid  one  year." 

"  John  Young  and  his  brother,  Archibald,  generally  pay  me  with- 
out subscribing."  Also  Samuel  Ross,  Samuel  Long,  "  and  Thomas 
Reah." 

"  Received  from  the  congregation  in  the  Forks  of  Brandywine  all 
I  expected  from  them." 

"  My  relation  to  Forks  of  Brandywine  dissolved  in  a  most  irregu- 
lar manner,  October,  1758." 

It  will  be  observed  -by  the  above  list  that  during  the  last  two  or 
three  years  of  Mr.  Boyd's  pastorate  the  names  added  to  the  list  of 
subscribers  for  the  payment  of  his  salary  were  few.  This  was  proba- 
bly owing  to  the  fact  that  from  1756  or  '57,  when  the  "Seceder 
Meeting-House"  was  built,  three  churches,— Mr.  Boyd's,  the  New 
Side,  and  the  Seceder, — were  attempted  to  be  sustained  within  a  short 
distance  of  one  another. 


APPENDIX 


241 


LIST    OF    SUBSCRIBERS    FOR    MR.    BOYD'S    SALARY   AT   OCTORARO, 
SEPTEMBER   1,   1758. 


Daniel  Henderson. 
William  Henderson. 
Thomas  Hope. 
John  Brewster. 
Charles  Gilkie. 
George  Wilkins. 
James  Fleming. 
William  Fleming. 
Sarah  Thompson. 
Robert  Wilson. 
Peter  Fleming. 
James  Fleming,  Sr. 
John  Fleming. 
John  Kincaid. 
Samuel  Kincaid. 
Benjamin  Wales. 
Samuel  M'Clelland. 
Charles  Eaches. 
William  Morsel. 
Robert  McPherson. 
John  McPherson. 
John  Shaw. 
Francis  Alexander. 
Walter  Gilkie. 


Robert  Kincaid  (carpenter). 
Arthur  Patterson. 
Robert  Gilkie. 
Robert  Kincaid  (weaver). 
James  Keys. 
Richard  Hope. 
Adam  Hope  (weaver). 
Alexander  Rogers. 
Robert  Kelly. 
George  Campbell. 
John  Miller,  Esq. 
John  Miller,  Sr. 
Archibald  Gay. 
Joseph  Wilson. 
William  Marshall. 
John  Turner. 
Samuel  Moore. 
John  Maxwell. 
James  Adaire. 
John  Irwin. 
John  Kincaid,  Jr. 
James  Davidson. 
James  Heathrington. 
David  Cowan. 


The  above  subscription  was  made  when  the  Congregation  at  Octo- 
raro  agreed  to  take  two-thirds  of  Mr.  Boyd's  time. 


242  APPENDIX. 


F. 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF 
NEW  BRUNSWICK. 

Maidenhead/  May  18th,  1748. 
A  call  was  brought  into  the  Synod  to  be  presented  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Dean  from  Timber  Ridge  and  Forks  of  James  River,  the  Synod  refer 
the  consideration  thereof  to  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  to  which 
M  r.  Dean  doth  belong,  and  do  recommend  it  to  said  Presbytery  to 
meet  in  Mr.  Dean's  meeting-house  on  Wednesday  next  upon  said 
affair,  and  that  Mr.  Dean  and  his  people  be  speedily  apprised  of  it.f 


September  18th  1760 
Mr.  Carmichael 

Dear  Sr,  Circumstances  of  Brandywine  Again  Oblidge  us  to 
Renew  our  Adress.  Sr.  we  have  the  pleasure  to  Inform  You  that 
your  one  Visit  has  been  Remarkably  Blessd  for  the  Uniting  this  people. 
Each  person  upon  All  Occasions  Expressing  their  warmest  Sentiments 
&  Close  Attachmt  &  Looks  upon  You  as  the  only  Gentleman  that  has 
preached  in  this  place  soe  Every  way  Adapted  to  its  Sittuation  &  are 
Morally  Assured  that  your  taking  the  pastoral  Charge  of  this  people 
wile  Under  Divine  providence  have  the  Most  Effectual  Tendency  to 
Remove  all  our  Distractions  &  perhaps  be  one  of  the  Most  Able 
&  flourishing  Congregations  Belonging  to  our  Synad  and  if  Settlemt 
as  a  Vacent  people  is  Attended  with  some  particular  Advantages 
\  that  few  others  in  the  Same  Sittuation  Can  pretend  to  Viz  it  Ly" 
Near  the  Seat  of  the  Synad  as  wele  as  the  Bosom  of  ye  Prsbr  where 
You  wile  have  a  near  Access  &  Correspondence  with  your  Bretherin 
upon  Every  Emergency  and  has  Been  Ever  Reputed  one  of  the  Most 
Healthy  places  As  it  is  high  Land  &  fule  of  good  springs  it  is  a  Com- 
pact Congregation    &   few  of  Different   Denominations   Intermixed 

*  Now  Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey. 

f  Tlie  Will  of  Mr.  Dean  is  on  record.  It  is  a  plain,  well-written  docu- 
ment, and  remarkably  free  from  the  irrelevant  verbiage  so  common  at 
that  time  in  legal  documents. 


APPENDIX.  243 

You  wile  have  but  one  people  &  one  Meeting  house  &  from  a  Long 
Acquaintence  We  are  Morally  Assurd  You  wile  find  a  Loving  Kind 
people  that  will  Certainly  be  a  pleasure  to  you  and  wile  Exert  the  in- 
fluence to  Render  you  Comfortable  &  if  Distressing  Circumstances 
wile  be  admitted  a  place  of  Argumt  where  is  the  Vacency  but  Bran- 
dywine  wile  Turn  the  Scale  we  have  Been  an  Orderly  Congregated 
people  Near  Thirty  year  &  for  Near  Twenty  a  Body  of  us  has  Been 
a  Destitute  people  Except  three  years  that  Mr.  Dean  Laboured 
Amongst  us  &  Now  has  Been  Twelve  Years  Vacent  we  have  made 
Many  Attempts  for  the  Settlemt  of  a  Minister  which  proved  Abor- 
tive (Which  Influenced  Some  to  Leave  the  place  Discouraged  &  a 
general  Indifference  took  place  Even  in  the  Midst  of  all  those  Dis- 
tresses or  Case  was  Not  soe  peculiarly  Dangerous  an  now  by  Reason 
of  the  Ceceder's  Unwearied  Industry  to  propigate  their  Scheme  & 
Make  a  party  which  in  Some  Measure  they  have  Effected  and  some 
has  said  that  if  we  Cannot  obtain  your  Settlemt  Necessity  wile  oblidge 
them  to  Joyne  the  Ceceders  &  if  this  is  the  Case  Brandywine  has 
Done  and  we  May  only  sit  Down  &  Lament  over  the  Ruins  of  the 
Congregation  &  Seeing  the  house  of  God  turned  to  a  Draught  house 
&  our  Children  left  to  Rove  A  Number  of  Meer  Scepticks  without 
any  Regard  to  God  or  Religion  A  Dismel  Reflection  but  Likely  to  be 
the  Case  if  Mr  Carmichael  Shuts  his  ears  to  the  Crye  Throw  Bran- 
dywine off'  as  a  Vessale  of  Distinction  unless  God  Interposes  in  a  way 
we  know  Not  Now  Dr  Sr  we  wo'1  Unitedly  Renew  our  Application 
to  you  in  the  Language  of  Ruth  to  Naomi  Intreat  us  not  to  Leave 
you  nor  from  following  after  you  in  Earnest  Entreaties  to  take  the 
pastoral  Charge  of  our  Souls  &  our  Children.  May  You  be  soe  im- 
prest with  the  Justice  of  our  Needy  Case  soe  as  to  determine  your 
Settlemt  hear  &  May  God  preside  over  the  whole  that  his  Glory  .May 
be  advanced  &  his  young  Sera"  Made  to  Rejoice  in  Seeing  the  pleasure 
of  the  Lord  prosper  in  his  hand  May  God  be  Ever  at  your  right 
hand  to  Aid  You  in  Every  Attempt  for  his  Glory  &  Beggs  Leave 
to  subscribe  Yours  Affectionately 

Samll.  Allen  francis  Alexander 

Tiios.  Brown  franois  Gardner 

John  Culbertson  William  Denny 

Wm,  Brown  William   Ik  win- 
David  Denny  Ruleing  Elders 


2  1  1  APPENDIX. 

II. 

JNO.   CARMICHAEL'S   WILL. 

In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.     I  Jno.  Carmichael,  of  this  Township 
of  East  Cain,  in  this  County  of  Chester,  of  this  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Clergyman,  being  Weak  in  Body,  &  very  sickly,  but  in  the 
proper  exercise  of  my  reason,  and  realizing  my  mortality,  that   it   is 
appointed  for  all  Men  once  to  die:  Do  make  this  my  last  Will  & 
Testament,  in   manner  as    followeth,  (viz*)      After    committing   my 
Soul  to  God  who  gave  it,  in  hope  of  the  pardon  of  all  my  Sins,  and 
a    gracious   acceptance   of  it,    through   the   merits,    mediation,    and 
imputted   Righteousness   of  the    Lord  Jesus  Christ,  my  dear  and 
Blessed  Saviour :  And  my  Body  to  the  Grave,  to  be  interred  as  my 
surviving  friends  shall  see  proper,  in  a  decent  manner,  without  any 
needless  parade  or  vain  show  whatever,  as  I  die  in  the  Hope  of  a 
Blessed  Resurrection  to  eternal  Life  for  this  my  mortal  Body  in  God's 
good   time   and  way,  according   to   the   Articles   of  the    Christian 
Religion,  as  professed  by  the  Calvinists  in  these  latter  ages  in  the 
general,  but  by  the  Presbyterian  Divines  in  perticular,  whose  system 
of  Principles  as  expressed  in  our  Confession  of  Faith  &  Catechisms, 
shorter  &  larger,  made  at  Westminster,  in  England,  by  the  Assembly 
of  Divines  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  have  been  and  now  is, 
adopted  by  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  America,  I 
give  my  Testimony  to,  on  this  my  Death  Bed,  as  expressive  of  the 
mind  &  will   of  God,  contained  in  the   Holy  Scriptures,  with  the 
exceptions  the  aforesaid  Synod  have  ordinarily  made,  but  more  espe- 
cially &  particularly,  do  I  desire  to  give  my  Death  Bed  Testimony,  to 
the  necessity  of  an  experimental  knowledge  of  those  Doctrines,  con- 
tained in  the  aforesaid  Systems,  called  the  Doctrines  of  Grace,  to  be 
applied  to  and  impressed  on  the  soul  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  a  saving 
manner,  to  Prepare  the  soul  for  that  eternal  felicity  which  consists  in 
the  enjoyment  of  God  in  Heaven.     But  as  to  the  few  things  of  this 
Life  or  Worldly  Substance  with  which  God  has  blessed  me,  I  Will 
to  have  them  disposed  of,  for  the  good  of  my  surviving   Family, 
my  Widow   and  Children,  in  the  following  manner  : — I  Will  that 
that  piece  of  Land  which  was  Run  out  &  measured  by  Thomas 
Haslet  the  survayer  last  Spring,  which  contains  near  One  Hundred 


APPENDIX.  245 

Acres  of  Land  &  lies  on  the  East  sideof  this  Plantation,  joining  the 
Land  &  Lines  of  William  Wilson,  Adam  Guthery,  William  Headings 

&  Widow  Rachel  White,  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder  and  ;i  g I 

authentick  tittle  made  to  the  purchaser  by  my  Executors  hereafter 
mentioned :  and  the  Money  that  arises  from  the  Sale  of  said  Laud,  to 
be  divided  into  three  equal  parts ;  one  third  part  to  my  Oldest  Son 
John  Flavel  Carmichael,  as  soon  as  the  money  can  be  got,  the  other 
third  part  to  Washington  Gates  Carmichael,  my  second  son,  to  help 
him  in  Education,  and  to  be  in  the  hands  of  his  mother  or  Guardian 
for  that  purpose,  as  I  desire  this  son  may  receive  a  good  Education, 
fit  for  the  Gospel  Ministry,  if  he  has  a  turn  for  it,  And  the  other 
third  part  to  be  given  to  my  oldest  daughter,  Phebe,  when  she  comes 
to  the  Age  of  Twenty  two  years,  to  be  hers  forever.  As  to  the  rest  of  this 
Plantation,  which  contains  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  improvements, 
such  as  the  House,  Garden,  meadows,  Barn  &  Orchard  &ca  my  will 
is,  that  the  premisses  be  apprized,  together  with  all  &  singular  the 
goods  &  Chattels  of  every  kind ;  and  then  a  just  estimate  taken  of 
the  whole,  and  one  whole  third  part  thereof  to  belong  to  my  dear  and 
loving  Wife,  then  a  Widow,  to  be  hers  forever,  which  I  will  &  appoint 
to  her,  in  lieu  of  the  whole  of  all  her  dower,  be  the  same  more  or  less. 
My  Will  further  is,  that  the  other  two  thirds  of  the  whole  apprized 
Estate,  be  divided  equally  among  my  Six  Children,  John  Flavel, 
Phebe,  Catherine  Mustard,  Washington  Gates,  Elizabeth  Sarah,  & 
Francina,  Share  &  Share  alike,  be  the  same  more  or  less,  each  child 
to  receive  his  Share  when  come  to  the  Age  of  Twenty  one  years ;  the 
mother  is  to  receive  the  benefit  of  the  profits  of  the  Minor  Children's 
Shares,  while  they  continue  to  live  with  her  &  no  longer,  whether 
her  own  or  her  Step  Children.  Also  my  Will  is,  that  if  any  of  my 
Children  to  whom  I  have  thus  divided  my  Estate,  depart  this  Life 
before  he  or  she  comes  to  legal  Age,  to  heir  his  or  her  portion,  his  or 
her  Share  be  equally  devided  among  the  surviving  Children,  Share  & 
Share  alike.  Also  my  Will  is,  that  if  my  Widow  and  the  Executors 
shall  conclude  &  judge,  that  it  will  be  better  for  the  Widow  & 
Children  to  sell  these  premises  or  plantation,  and  to  move  to  some 
place  such  as  Princeton,  where  the  Education  of  the  Children  can  be 
more  easily  assertained,  or  whereever  they  shall  judge  proper,  in  such 
case,  let  the  place  be  sold  to  the  best  Advantage ;  and  may  the 
kind  good  providence  of  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  &  Jacob  direct 


246  APPENDIX. 

them.  T  do  hereby  appoint,  &  ordain  &  constitute,  my  very  trusty  dear 
&  worthy  friends  to  be  Executors  of  this  my  last  Will  &  Testament, 
viz  the  Hon:  William  Clingan  Esqr,  the  Hon"1  John  Beaton  Esqr, 
together  with  my  Son  John  Flavel  Carmichael,  hereby  declaring  this 
to  be  my  last  Will  &  Testament,  and  hereby  cancelling  and  di&anulling 
all  preceding  ones  as  null  and  void.  In  Witness  whereof,  I  have 
hereunto  set  my  Hand  &  Seal,  this  17th  day  of  August,  One 
Thousand  Seven  Hundred  &  Eighty-five. 

John  Carmichael     [Seal] 
George  Irwin, 
Barnabas  Curly  his  V  Mark 
Witnesses. 

I,  John  Carmichael  within  named,  continuing  Weak  &  Sick  in 
Body,  but  through  the  divine  goodness,  of  sound  disposing  mind  & 
Memory,  do  think  proper  to  make  this  Codicil,  or  Addition  to  my 
last  Will  and  Testament,  in  the  manner  following,  viz1  Whereas,  I 
have  certain  sums  of  money  in  the  Fund  of  the  Corporation  for  the 
relief  of  Presbyterian  Ministers  their  Widows  &  Children,  which  by 
the  Rules  of  the  said  Corporation,  will  be  productive  of  a  certain 
Annuity  or  yearly  allowance  to  my  Family  after  my  decease,  Now  it 
is  my  Will  and  I  order,  that  all  the  Monies  that  may  be  drawn  yearly 
from  the  said  fund,  be  paid  to  my  beloved  Wife,  to  be  applied  towards 
her  support,  and  the  support  Education  and  maintenance  of  my 
minor  Children,  to  wit,  Catherine  Mustard,  Washington  Gates,  Eliza- 
beth Sarah  &  Francina,  during  their  minority,  to  be  apply'd  to  her 
A:  their  use  afores'1  while  She  continues  my  Widow,  and  the  said 
Children  remain  under  her  care  and  management ;  but  in  case  they 
the  said  Children  should  be  taken  from  under  her  care  by  their  Guar- 
dian or  otherwise,  In  that  Case  I  will  &  order  that  the  said  yearly 
Annuity  be  divided  between  my  said  Wife  and  Children  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner,  viz1  One  third  thereof  to  my  beloved  Wife,  and  the 
remaining  two  thirds  to  be  equally  divided  among  my  Four  Children 
above  named.  I  Likewise  give  and  devise  unto  my  Son  John  Flavel 
Carmichael,  all  that  my  One  undivided  moiety  or  equal  half  part 
of  Fourteen  Acres  of  Valuable,  Woodland,  situate  in  the  Town  of 
Newark,  in  the  County  of  Essex,  in  New  Jersey,  which  came  to  me 
as  a  part  of  the  Dowry  of  his  deceased  Mother;  to  hold  to  him  the 


APPENDIX.  247 

said  John  Flavel  Carmichael  &  to  his  Heirs  &  Assigns  forever,  I 
Likewise  Give  &  bequeath  unto  my  said  son  Flavel,  my  wearing 
Apparel  and  Cane.  And  I  do  hereby  declare  this  Codicil  to  be  part 
&  parcel  of  my  last  Will  and  Testament,  hereby  ratifying  &  confirm- 
ing the  same  and  every  part  thereof.  In  Witness  whereof,  I  have 
hereunto  set  my  Hand  &  Seal,  this  eleventh  day  of  November,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  One  Thousand,  Seven  Hundred  &  Eighty  five. 
Before  signing,  <fe  sealing,  I  nominate  &  appoint  Mr.  William  Hunter 
of  West  Nantmeal,  to  be  one  of  the  Executors  of  my  last  Will  & 
Testament. 

John  Carmichael     [Seal] 

Signed,  Sealed,  published  &  declared  by  the  Testator  as  a  Codicil 
to  his  last  Will  &  Testament  in  the  presence  of  Us 

Robert  Filson, 
George  Irwin. 


T. 
DR.   GRIER'S   RESIGNATION. 

Dr.  Grier's  request  for  a  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation  was 
brought  before  Presbytery  for  its  action  April  14,  1869.  It  was  in 
writing,  and  as  follows  : 

To  the  Moderator  and  Presbytery  of  New  Castle. 

Dear  Brethren, — In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1813,  in  the  twenty- 
first  year  of  my  age,  I  was  licensed  by  this  Presbytery  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  and  on  the  24th  day  of  November,  a.d.  1814,  I  was  ordained 
to  the  full  work  of  the  Ministry,  and  installed  Pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gation of  the  Forks  of  the  Brandywine. 

Now,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  my  age,  and  having  labored 
amongst  you  for  fifty-four  years  and  seven  months,  and  paralyzed 
botb  in  my  speech  and  limbs,  and  no  longer  able  to  fulfil  the  duties 
of  the  Pastorate,  I  ask  this  Presbytery,  not  one  of  whom  was  a 
member  of  it  when  I  was  ordained  and  installed,  to  dissolve  the  pas- 
toral relation  existing  now  between  me  and  the  Congregation  of  the 

Forks  of  Brandywine. 

J.  N.  C.  Grier. 

March  30,  1869. 


248  APPENDIX. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Newcastle,  held  May  6,  1869, 
the  subjoined  resolutions  were  presented  by  the  Rev.  John  M.  Dickey, 
D.D.,  and  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  in  accepting  the  resignation  of  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier 
of  his  charge  of  the  Brandywine  Manor  Church,  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Castle  desire  to  express  their  grateful  acknowledgment  of  God's 
goodness  and  mercy  in  permitting  this  pastoral  relation  to  continue 
so  long ;  reaching  over  more  than  fifty-four  years,  marked  by  many 
precious  seasons  of  special  religious  interest,  and  by  a  continual  in- 
gathering of  souls,  the  Presbytery  would  note  the  fact ;  and  now  as 
growing  infirmity  renders  it  necessary  that  Dr.  Grier  be  released  from 
his  charge,  they  offer  him  their  heartfelt  sympathy,  and  pray  that 
the  joys  of  a  faithful  minister  may,  through  the  merits  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour,  be  his  now  and  in  the  church  above. 

Resolved,  That  the  above  be  entered  on  the  minutes,  and  that  a 
copy  be  handed  to  the  Elder  of  Brandywine  Manor  Church,  to  be 
presented  to  Dr.  Grier. 


J. 

CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  HONEYBROOK  TEMPERANCE 

SOCIETY. 

The  undersigned,  inhabitants  of  Honeybrook  and  its  vicinity, 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  incalculable  injury  resulting  to  society, 
in  all  its  present  and  eternal  interests,  from  the  existence  and  preva- 
lence of  Intemperance,  in  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  feel  them- 
selves called  upon  as  good  citizens  to  make  all  the  efforts  within  their 
ability,  by  fair  and  honorable  means,  to  lessen  and  if  possible  to  ex- 
tirpate the  vice.  And  for  this  purpose  do  associate  together,  under  a 
pledge  of  mutual  co-operation,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the 
following  articles,  viz. : 

I.  To  abstain  from  all  use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  excepting  when 
we  conscientiously  believe  they  are  necessary  as  a  medicine. 

II.  To  refrain  from  offering  them  to  our  friends  and  visitors,  in 
our  families,  as  marks  of  hospitality. 

III.  Entirely  to  cease  giving  them  to  workmen  and  laborers,  in 
harvest  or  any  other  season,  excepting  as  above  specified. 


APPENDIX.  249 

IV.  To  refrain  under  the  strictest  caution  from  selling,  or  giving 
them  in  greater  or  smaller  quantities  to  persons  known  to  be  in  the 
habit  of  making  a  bad  use  of  them,  except  when  known  to  be  needed 
as  medicine. 

V.  Tbat  we  will  neither  sell  nor  cause  to  be  sold  any  of  our  grain 
for  the  purpose  of  distillation. 

VI.  That  we  will  hold  the  vice  of  intemperance  in  utter  abhor- 
rence, and  use  every  proper  means  to  bring  it  into  the  disrepute  and 
destruction  due  to  its  hatefulness,  and  yet  regarding  its  victims  and 
its  advocates  with  deep  compassion,  and  to  use  all  our  efforts  to  reclaim 
them. 

Any  person  making  application,  and  being  at  the  time  sober,  may 
become  a  member  of  this  association  ;  and  any  person  known  to  the 
society  to  have  violated  any  of  these  articles  shall  be  conversed  with 
un  the  subject,  and  for  a  repetition  of  the  offence  shall  be  dismissed. 
John  N.  C.  Grier,  John  Clemenson, 

Samuel  Jones,  John  Buchanan, 

John  W.  Pinkerton,  William  Ewin<;, 

John  Ballentine,  James  K.  Mendenhall, 

C.  Robinson,  James  Quin, 

Thomas  G.  Happersett,     John  Wright, 
David  Skeen,  Nathan  Griffith, 

James  M'Clune,  Benj.  Talbot, 

Joseph  Brown,  Joseph  Criley. 

John  Stewart,  Joseph  Whitaker, 

Wm.  Templeton,  Geo.  Cowan, 

James  Ralston,  David  Buchanan,  Jr. 

James  Ralston,  Jr.  Wm.  Robeson.* 


K. 

COPY  OF   DEED   FOR   THE   LAND   FIRST  OBTAINED 
FOR  CHURCH   PURPOSES. 

This  Indenture,  made  the  eighteenth  day  of  May  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-one,  between  Matthew 


*  The  only  survivors  are  Mr.  Ballentine  and  lie  who  records  the  fact. 

17 


250  APPENDIX. 

Robertson,  of  West  Xantmel  and  John  Smith  the  younger  of  East 
Cain  in  the  County  of  Chester  and  province  of  Pennsylvania,  Yeo- 
men  of  the  one  part  and  The  Reverend  John  Carmichael,  Clerk,  John 
CulbertsoD,  James  Moore,  William  Denny,  Samuel  McKinley,  and 
Francis  Gardner,  all  of  the  said  County  of  Chester,  Yeomen  of  the 
other  part.  Whereas  the  Honorable  The  proprietaries  of  the  said 
province  by  their  Letter  Patent  the  fifth  day  of  this  Instant,  May,  did 
Errant  and  confirm  unto  The  said  Matthew  Robertson  and  John  Smith 
in  Fee,  A  certain  piece  of  Land  situated  in  their  Manor  of  Springton 
in  the  said  County  of  Chester,  and  Township  of  Westnantmell,  Be- 
ginning at  a  post  in  the  Line  of  the  Manor  afore*1  Corner  of  the  tract 
of  land  part  of  the  said  manor  surveyed  unto  James  McCoskry 
thence  by  said  McCoskry's  land  and  along  the  great  road  leading 
through  the  said  Manor  from  Philada.  to  Harris's  Ferry  on  the  River 
Susquehannah  called  Paxtang  Road  North  fifty  five  degrees,  East 
fifty  perches  to  a  post  and  South  fifty  one  degrees,  East  forty  six 
perches  to  a  post  in  the  Manor  Line — thence  along  the  Manor  Line, 
west  seventy  seven  perches  to  the  Place  of  Beginning,  containing  six 
acres  and  eighty  six  perches  with  the  appurtenances  (except  as  therein 
excepted)  To  hold  to  the  said  Matthew  Robertson  and  John  Smith 
their  Heirs  and  Assigns  forever,  to  and  for  the  Use  of  Intent  and 
Purpose  of  erecting  and  continuing  thereon  a  Church  or  House  of 
Religious  Worship  for  the  use  of  the  said  Congregation  of  Presbyte- 
rians and  their  Descendents  and  Successors  for  ever,  in  such  Manner 
as  the  Minister,  Elders,  and  majority  of  such  Congregation  for  the 
Time  being  shall  from  Time  to  Time  order,  direct  and  appoint,  under 
the  yearly  Quit  Rent  of  one  Shilling  Sterling  Money  of  Great  Britain 
to  the  said  proprietaries  their  Heirs  and  Successors  for  ever  as  in  and 
by  the  said  recited  patent  record  at  Philadelphia  in  Patent  Book  A.  A. 
vol.  2,  pa.  285,  more  fully  appears.  Now  this  Indenture  witnesseth 
that  the  said  Matthew  Robertson  and  John  Smith  at  the  special  in- 
stance and  Request  of  the  said  Presbyterian  Congregation  and  by  and 
with  the  Privity,  Consent,  Approbation  and  Direction  of  them  or  the 
major  part  of  them  who  now  statedly  worship  in  the  Church  or  Mcet- 
ing  House  erected  on  the  said  described  and  granted  piece  of  Land 
under  the  pastoral  Charge  of  the  Reverend  the  said  John  Carmicliael, 
testified  by  his  and  the  rest  of  the  said  parties  hereto  of  the  Second 
Part  being  the  Trustees  chosen  and  appointed  by  the  said  Congrega- 


appendix.  251 

tion  for  that  purpose  signing  and  Bealing  the  presents  hereby  acknowl- 
edge  and  declare  that  the  names  of  the  said  Matthew  Robertson  and 
John  Smith  were  made' use  of  in  the  said  recited  Patent  or  Grant  and 
the  same  was  so  as  aforesaid  made  or  intended  to  be  made  to  them, 
the  said  Matthew  Robertson  and  John  Smith  and  their  Heirs  in  trust 
only  to  and  for  the  use,  Benefit  and  Behoof  of  the  People  who  are 
and  shall  be  members  of  the  said  Presbyterian  Congregation  accord- 
ing to  the  tenor  and  true  meaning  of  these  presents  for  ever.  And 
the  said  Matthew  Robertson  and  John  Smith  by  and  with  the  like, 
consent,  privity,  and  direction  of  the  said  Congregation  or  the  Major- 
ity of  them  as  aforesaid  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  five  shil- 
lings apiece  to  them  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  parties  hereto  of  the 
second  part  (the  receipt  thereof,  is  hereby  acknowledged)  have  granted, 
bargained,  sold,  enfeoffed  released  and  confirmed  and  by  these  pres- 
ents, do  grant,  bargain,  sell,  enfeoff  release  and  confirm  unto  the  said 
John  Carmichael,  John  Culbertson,  James  Moore,  William  Denny, 
Samuel  McKinley,  Francis  Gardner  and  their  Heirs  and  Assigns, 
All  that  the  said  herein  before  described  piece  or  parcel  of  land  con- 
taining six  acres  and  eighty  six  perches  of  land  be  the  same  more  or 
less,  together  with  all  the  buildiugs,  improvements  rights  members, 
and  appurtenances  thereto  belonging  and  the  reversions  and  remain- 
ders thereof,  and  the  said  sealed  Patent  to  have  cmd  to  hold  the  said 
described  six  acres  and  eighty  six  perches  piece  or  portion  of  ground 
Hereditaments  and  premises  hereby  granted  or  mentioned  or  intended 
so  to  be  with  the  appurtenances  unto  the  said  John  Carmichael,  John 
Culbertson,  James  Moore,  William  Denny,  Francis  Gardner,  and 
Samuel  McKinley  their  Heirs  and  Assigns  forever  In  Trust  and  of 
intent  and  purpose  that  the  said  described  and  granted  piece  of  land 
shall  be  and  continue  a  place  for  the  site  of  a  House  of  Public  Wor- 
ship and  for  a  burial  place,  and  that  the  whole  of  the  said  premises 
shall  be,  continue,  and  remain  for  the  use  and  service  of  the  said  con- 
gregation  of  people  called  Presbyterians  forever,  who  do  or  shall  hold 
and  continue  to  hold  the  system  of  Doctrine  contained  in  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith  and  Directory  agreeable  to  the  present 
Interpretation  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  to  which 
they  are  now  united,  but  under  and  subject  nevertheless  to  the  follow- 
ing conditions  and  limitations  viz. :  Provided  always  that  do  person 
shall  be  deemed   to   belong   to   the   said   Congregation   until   he   has 


252  APPENDIX. 

statedly  attended  upon  the  Public  Worship  of  God  in  the  said  Con- 
gregatioD  for  the  space  of  twelve  months  and  shall  have  regularly  con- 
bributed  to  the  Bupport  of  the  ministry  and  other  charges  of  the  same 
according   to  the  usage  of  Presbyterians,  nor  shall  be  deemed  any 
longer  a  member  thereof  than  he  continues  to  hold  and  conform  to 
the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  and  Directory  aforesaid,  and 
shall  continue  to  attend  statedly  in  an  orderly  manner  upon  the  public 
Worship.of  God  in  the  said  Congregation  and  be  in  Communion  with 
the  said  Synod  as  before  expressed.     And  'provided  also  that  neither 
the  said  parties  hereto  of  the  Second  Part  nor  cither  of  them  nor  any 
other  person  or  persons  succeeding  them  in  this  Trust  who  shall  here- 
after  fall  from  or  change  his  or  their  religious  Principles  aforesaid  or 
separate  from  the  said  Synod  or  depart  from  the  said  Congregation,  or 
who  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  contribute  toward  the  support  of  the 
same,  shall  be  capable  to  execute  this  Trust  or  stand  secured  to  the 
Uses  aforesaid  nor  have  any  right  or  interest  in  the  said  described  or 
granted  piece  of  land  and  premises  or  in  the  House  or  other  buildings 
and  improvements  thereon  erected  or  to  be  erected  as  aforesaid  while 
he  or  they  shall  so  continue  but  that  in  such  cases  as  also  when  any 
of  them  or  other  person  or  persons  who  shall  succeed  in  the  Trust 
aforesaid  shall  happen  to  depart  this  Life  that  then  it  shall  and  may 
be  lawful  for  the  said  congregation  the  time  being  and  from  time  to 
time  and  as  often  as  the  occasion  shall  require  to  make  choice  of  others 
to  manage  the  said  Trust  instead  of  such  that  as  shall  fall  away,  se- 
cede, separate  or  be  deceased.     Provided  further,  in  order  to  prevent 
law  suits  in  case  it  shall  be  disputed  in  time  coming  whether  any  par- 
ticular persons  or  members  of  the  said  Congregation  or  any  debate 
shall  arise  in  relation  to  Pews  in  the  said  House  of  Worship  that  all 
such  debates  and  all  others  of  a  civil  nature  respecting  the  said  Tract 
of  Land  and  House  of  Worship  shall  be  finally  determined  by  a  ma- 
jority of  votes  of  the  adult  male  members  of  the  said  congregation 
being  such  afore  convened  after  Public  Notice  in  which  Public  Con- 
ventions, the  minister  of  the  said  Congregation  for  the  time  being  if 
present,  shall  always  preside  as  Moderator  or  by  Arbitrators  holding 
the  Principles  aforesaid  chosen  by  them  for  the  purpose  aforesaid. 
And  the  said  Matthew  Robertson  and  John  Smith  or  either  of  them 
do  further  acknowledge  and  declare  by  these  presents  that  they  neither 
claim   nor  have  by  virtue  of  the  said   Patent  or  Grant  to  them  any 


APPENDIX.  253 

right,  Title  or  Interest  in  the  said  described  and  granted  piece  or  por- 
tion of  Ground  and  premises  or  any  part  thereof,  their  own  particular 
order  and  benefit  but  only  to  and  for  the  Trust,  Uses,  Purposes  and 
Services  berein  before  mentioned  and  to  no  other  use  and  service 
whatsoever  and  therefore  in  further  accomplishment  and  performance 
of  the  Trust  and  Confidence  aforesaid,  they  the  said  Matthew  Rob- 
ertson and  John  Smith  do  for  themselves  and  every  of  them  and  for 
each  of  their  heirs  severally  and  respectively  warrant,  promise,  grant, 
and  agree  to  and  with  the  said  parties  hereto  of  the  Second  Part  their 
heirs,  executors,  Assigns  and  every  of  them  by  these  presents  that 
they  the  said  Matthew  Robertson,  and  John  Smith  their  Heir  and 
Assigns  shall  and  will  at  all  or  any  time  or  times  hereafter  upon  the 
request  of  the  said  congregation  or  a  majority  of  the  male  members 
thereof  convened  as  aforesaid  make,  do  execute  and  acknowledge  all 
such  further  and  other  act  and  Acts  conveyance  and  assurance  what- 
soever in  the  Law  as  shall  be  advised  by  Council  learned  in  the  Law^ 
to  be  needful  for  the  better  conveying  and  vesting  the  said  premises 
in  the  Succeeding  Trust  and  further  assuming  of  the  said  described 
Tract  or  piece  of  Land  with  the  appurtenances  to  and  for  the  Uses, 
Interests,  and  Purposes  aforesaid.  In  witness  thereof  the  parties 
aforesaid  to  these  presents  have  hereunto  interchangeably  set  their 
hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year  first  above  Written. 

Wm.  Denny  Matthew  Robertson 

Samuel  McKinley      John  Smith 
Frans.  Gardner  John  Culbertson 

John  Carmichael        James  Moore. 

Sealed  and  Delivered 

Samuel  Allen 
James  McCoskry 
Robert  Smith 

Chester  ss 

Before  me  William  Clingan  one  of  the  Justices  for  said  County 

came  the  above  named    Matthew   Robertson  and  John   Smith,  the 

above  grantors  who  did  acknowledge  the  above  Instrument  of  Writing 

to  be  their  Act  and  Deed  by  them  signed,  sealed  and  delivered   for 

the  uses  and  purposes  above  mentioned. 

Acknowledged  Decr  21st  17G1 

William  Clingan. 


254 


APPENDIX. 


L. 
INSTRUCTORS   IN   HOWARD   ACADEMY. 


Principal-. 

James  M  'Clune,  LL.D. 
i;<\ .  .Mr.  Ogden. 
Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland. 
Mr.  Watson. 


Assistants   in    Young 
Men's  Department. 

Mr.  Isaac  M'Dermond. 
"    John  C.  Thompson. 
"    Samuel  R.  Forrest. 
"    John  K.  Ralston. 
"    James  B.  Ralston. 


In    Vouug    Ladies' 
Department. 

Mi-  (iwenny  Rowland. 
"     Elizabeth  Sims. 
"      Aliee  Hotchkins. 
"      Louisa  B.  Ralston. 
"     Marion  Thibeaudcaux. 


M. 

REV.   JAMES   GRIER. 

The  Rev.  James  Grier  was  born  in  Bucks  County,  Pa.,  about  1750. 
Where  he  received  his  academical  training  is  not  known.  He  was 
graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class  by  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in 
1772.  and  passed  a  year  as  a  tutor  in  that  institution.  He  was 
hopfully  converted  by  the  preaching  of  Whitefield,  and  studied 
theology  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Witherspoon. 

Mr.  Grier  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  in  1775. 
and  installed  as  pastor  of  Deep  Run  Presbyterian  Church,  Bucks 
County,  Pa.,  in  1778,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He 
preached  his  last  sermon  November  18,  1791,  and  died  the  next  day. 

Mr.  Grier  was  an  excellent  scholar,  a  faithful  and  instructive 
minister  of  the  Gospel.  His  only  son,  John  Ferguson  Grier,  organ- 
ized and  became  pastor  of  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  in  Reading, 
Pennsylvania. 

Although  fully  competent  both  by  learning  and  ability  to  prepare 
works  worthy  of  remembrance,  Mr.  Grier,  like  nearly  all  of  the 
Presbyterian  clergymen  of  his  day  in  the  Middle  States,  gave  no 
production  of  his  pen  to  the  public.  This  is  the  mure  remarkable  as 
the  press  of  New  England,  during  the  last  century,  especially,  teemed 
with  Thanksgiving  Sermons,  Funeral  Orations,  Patriotic  Addresses 
and  less  ephemeral  productions.f 


*  Records  of  Howard  Academy  ;  Reminiscences  of  First  Principal. 

f  Sprague,  "  Annals  of  American  Pulpit;"  Dr.  S.  Alexander,  "  Prince- 
ton College  in  the  Eighteenth  Century;"  Elliot,  "Biographical  Dic- 
tionary." 


APPENDIX.  2~>r> 

isr. 

BRANDYWINE   CREEK. 

This  stream,  the  Susquehanna  of  Chester  County,  retains  the  name 
given  it  by  the  Dutch,  while  they  held  possession  of  the  country 
around  its  outlet.  Brandywein  Kill,  clear-water  river,  is  mentioned 
by  the  First  Governor  under  the  Duke  of  York  in  1665.  On  account 
of  the  abundance  of  fish  in  its  waters  this  stream  was  much  fre- 
quented by  the  Indians,  and  its  banks  were  among  their  favorite 
camping-grounds.  Many  of  the  sites  for  propelling  machinery 
afforded  by  its  rapid  current  were  utilized  at  an  early  period.  Several* 
of  the  first  grist-mills  erected  West  of  the  Delaware  River  were 
dependent  on  this  water-course  for  their  motive-power. 

Owing  to  the  clearing  away  of  the  forests,  giving  rise  to  greater 
evaporation,  and  the  removal  of  fallen  timber  and  other  obstructions 
from  its  channel,  permitting  the  rain-fall  to  pass  off  more  rapidly,  this 
stream  is  much  smaller  than  it  was  a  century  ago.  A  ferry  was  kept 
several  years  by  Chadd  at  the  crossing  which  bears  his  name,  and 
wheu  the  Hessians  attempted  to  force  a  passage  at  that  place  during 
the  ill-starred  battle  fought  on  its  banks,  they  were  obliged  to  carry 
their  muskets  on  a  level  with  the  shoulder,  and  many  of  the  wounded 
by  Wayne's  artillery  were  drowned. 

There  are  few  streams  of  no  greater  length  nor  volume  of  water 
more  noteworthy  than  the  Brandywine.  This  is  manifest  whether 
attention  is  directed  to  the  conflict  which  bears  its  name,  the  numerous 
factories  for  which  it  supplies  the  motive-power,  or  the  well-tilled 
farms  of  the  moral  and  intelligent  communities  which  people  the  large 
portion  of  Chester  County  which  it  drains. 

The  Presbyterians  indicated  the  locality  of  their  first  Meeting- 
Houses  and  the  religious  associations  connected  with  them  by  giving 
them  the  names  of  the  nearest  known  natural  objects,  as  streams, 
valleys,  levels,  etc.  Thus  Great  Valley,  Neshaminy,  Deep  Run,  Bead 
of  Christiana,  Octoraro,  Doe  Run,  Chestnut  Level  and  Forks  of 
Brandywine,  or  in  the  quaint  style  and  orthography  of  Adam  Buyd, 
the  Fforks. 

The  Friends  rejecting  the  Indian  names  as  savoring  of  heathenism, 
called  their  houses  for  public  worship  after  the  Townships  in  which 


256  APPENDIX. 

they  were  placed,  as  Birmingham,  Goshen,  Dwchlan,  Nantmeal,  Calu, 
eto.  That  they  did  so  is  a  matter  for  regret,  as  it  has  caused  the 
original  names  of  nearly  all  the  streams  in  Chester  County  to  he 
forgotten.  In  Lancaster,  Berks,  and  other  Couuties  a  majority  of  the 
wat.r-courses  retain,  with  some  modifications,  the  names  they  received 
from  the  Aborigines,  hut  in  Chester  County  two  streams  only,  the 
Pocopson  and  Octoraro,  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  the  most 
friendly  and  unwarlike  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

While  the  annals  of  many  portions  of  this  State  contain  details  of 
"  Indian  outrages,"  the  history  of  one  of  the  oldest  Counties  shows 
that  the  Leuni  Lenape  and  their  "  white  brothers"  dwelt  peaceably 
together  along  the  Brandywine  and  other  streams  upwards  of  a 
hundred  years.* 


o. 

NANTMELL   TOWNSHIP. 

This  Township,  now  divided  into  five,  was  formed  and  some  set- 
tlements made  along  its  Western  limit  by  Welsh  immigrants  in 
1720-22.  It  included  a  large  area,  being  bounded  on  the  North  by 
French  Creek,  West  by  the  mountain  (Welsh  Mountain),  Southeast 
by  the  Barren  Hill,  and  Northeast  in  part  by  Marsh  Creek.  When 
Lancaster  County  was  set  off  from  Chester,  in  1729,  the  division  line 
between  the  two  Counties  became  the  Western  limit  of  Nantmell, 
while  the  Southeast  boundary  of  Spriugtown  Manor,  laid  out  in  the 
same  year,  separated  it  from  Cain. 

Nantmell  remained  almost  an  unsettled  wilderness  until  the  Scotch 
Irish,  who  landed  at  Newcastle  in  1729,  and  the  years  immediately 
following,  passing  up  the  Brandywine  and  along  the  "  Indian  Trail" 
which  led  from  the  Great  Valley  to  Conestogo  Valley,  chose  this 
township  as  their  places  of  abode. 

The  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  were  the  poorest  in  worldly  goods  and 
the  least  refined  of  the  first  settlers,  but  being  energetic,  economical, 
and  industrious,  they  soon  dotted  the  Township  with   humble  but 

*Smith,  "History  of  Delaware  County;"  Day,  "Historical  Collec- 
tions:" "  Hazard's  llegister  of  Pennsylvania." 


APPENDIX.  257 

comfortable  homes.  As  they,  like  all  who  came  to  America  at  thai 
period,  sought  "  freedom  to  worship  God"  rather  than  wealth,  a  church 
was  soon  organized  and  a  building  for  public  worship  provided.  The 
Manor  Meeting-IIouse,  the  first  in  Nantmell  Township,  and  fur  a 
hundred  years  the  only  Presbyterian  Church  within  its  boundaries, 
was  built  in  less  than  three  years  after  records  prove  that  those  who 
erected  it  had  become  settled  residents. 

The  first  dwellings  were  made  of  unhewn  logs ;  the  barns  were 
small  and  thatched  with  straw.  The  buildings  were  placed  near  a 
spring,  no  wells  having  been  sunk  until  at  least  half  a  century  after- 
wards, and  the  now  common  suction-pump  unknown  till  upward  of 
thirty  years  later.  Coming  from  countries  where  timber  was  scarce 
and  valuable,  and  not  being  skilled  in  wielding  the  axe,  they  spared 
the  forests,  making  ditches  the  boundaries  of  farms,  and  using  the 
privet  for  the  separation  of  fields. 

The  section  of  country  included  in  Nantmell  being  elevated,  and 
the  currents  in  the  streams  rapid,  the  purity  and  abundance  of  the 
water,  an  object  of  particular  interest  with  the  first  settlers,  caused  it 
to  be  named  and  settled  sooner  than  many  other  portions  of  the 
County.  As  further  evidence  of  this,  it  may  be  stated  that  the 
name  of  the  Township,  Nantmell,  or  good  water,  of  the  principal 
stream,  Brandywine  Kill,  clear- water  river,  and  Springtown,  the  name 
of  the  Manor,  all  refer  to  the  water,  and  what  is  worthy  of  remark,  each 
of  these  names  was  given  by  immigrants  of  different  nationalities. 
Nantmell  by  the  Welsh,  Brandywein  by  the  Dutch,  and  Springtown 
by  the  English. 

The  Indians  appear  to  have  appreciated  the  advantages  of  the 
bracing  air,  pure  water,  and  abundance  of  fish  and  game  which 
Nantmell  afforded,  as  one  of  their  principal  towns  and  burial-places 
was  situated  in  this  Township. 

The  influence  of  the  Manor  Church,  which,  after  the  lapse  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  still  flourishes,  is  manifest  both  in  the  general 
morality  of  the  inhabitants  and  in  the  fact  that  eight  out  of  every 
ten  of  those  who  own  the  farms  occupied  by  their  forefathers  are 
descendants  of  members  of  that  church. 

Although  Nantmell  has  produced  few  literary  or  scientific  men,  yet 
two  natives  of  it  have  received  the  degree  of  D.D.,  two  of  LL.D., 
and  at  least  four  members  of  the  Chester  County  bar,  three  editors  of 


258 


APPENDIX. 


ably-conducted  periodicals,  nine  physicians  and  two  well-known  edu- 
cators claim  Nantmell  as  the  home  of  their  infancy* 


P. 

As  evidence  of  the  sparse  population  at  that  period,  the  following 
list  of  those  who  settled  between  1720  and  1740  in  that  part  of  Cain 
now  included  in  East  and  West  Brandywine,  is  given : 


Edwin  Irwin. 
Joseph  Eldridge. 
Robert  Mirach. 
John  McDermond. 
Samuel  M'Crary. 
Thomas  Green. 
John  Patterson. 
Andrew  Cox. 
James  Green. 
James  Love. 
William  Patterson. 
John  Troak. 
William  Smart. 
Samuel  McKinly. 
Henry  Lewis. 
Peter  Whitaker. 
William  Reese. 
Patrick  Lockhart. 
John  Morgan. 
Thomas  Temple. 


Joshua  Mendenhall. 
James  McFarlane. 
William  Litore. 
Andrew  Elliott. 
John  Green. 
John  Byers. 
James  McGlaughlin. 
John  McFarlan. 
Adam  Guthrie. 
Francis  Long. 
Joseph  Wilkinson. 
James  Batten. 
Richard  Buffington. 
William  Byers. 
Samuel  Byers. 
Joseph  Phipps. 
Henry  Jones. 
George  Oglesby. 
John  Walker. 
Peter  Graham. 


In  1722  there  were  but  eight  thousand  inhabitants  in  what  was 
then  Chester  County ;  that  is,  all  of  Pennsylvania  except  the  Coun- 
ties of  Bucks  and  Philadelphia. 


:':  Local  Memoranda;  Colonial  Records. 


APPENDIX. 


259 


Q. 

EXTRACT    FROM   MINUTES   OF   PRESBYTERY. 
SEPTEMBER,   1716. 

Meetings  or  Presbyteries  constituting  one  annually  as  a  synod,  to 
meet  at  Philadelphia  or  elsewhere,  to  consist  of  all  the  members  of 
each  subordinate  Presbytery  or  meeting  for  this  year  at  least.  There- 
fore, it  is  agreed  by  the  Presbytery  after  serious  deliberation,  that  the 
first  subordinate  meeting  or  Presbytery  do  meet  at  Philadelphia,  or 
elsewhere,  as  they  shall  see  fit,  to  consist  of  these,  viz.,  Messrs.  An- 
drews, Jones,  Powell,  Orr,  Pradner,  and  Morgan,  and  the  second  to 
meet  at  New  Castle,  or  elsewhere,  as  they  shall  see  fit,  to  consist  of 
these,  viz.,  Messrs.  Anderson,  Magill,  Gillespie,  Wotherspoon,  Evans, 
and  Conn.  The  third  to  meet  at  Snowhill,  or  elsewhere,  to  consist  of 
these,  viz.,  Messrs.  Davies,  Hampton,  and  Henry. 

Of  the  above  Fifteen  Presbyterian  Clergymen,  only  one,  Andrews, 
was  a  native.  All  of  the  others  were  immigrants  from  Scotland, 
Ireland,  or  Wales. 


R 

LIST  OF  THOSE  BURIED  IN  THE  GRAVEYARDS  FROM 
MARCH,  1849,  TO  APRIL,  1863,  FOURTEEN  YEARS. 


Name. 

Date 

of  Burial. 

Name. 

Date 

if  Burial. 

Arthur  Donegan, 

April 

25, 

1849. 

Alexander  Maitland, 

Nov. 

13, 

1849 

George  W.  Nelson, 

May 

1, 

it 

John  C.  Thompson, 

Dec. 

9, 

u 

William  H.  Lookart, 

u 

9, 

a 

Joseph  Arters, 

Jan. 

13, 

L850 

Jacob  Happersett, 

June 

15, 

a 

Child  of  J.  Sheneman, 

a 

26, 

it 

Margaret  Conaway, 

July 

31, 

" 

"     of  Charles  M'Cann 

,Feb. 

11, 

tt 

Robert  Caruthers, 

Aug. 

2, 

a 

Sarah  S.  Sides, 

tt 

12, 

a 

Mary  Donegan, 

u 

9, 

it 

Jane  H.  Grier, 

Mar. 

1, 

a 

Riobard  Donegan, 

<< 

16, 

tt 

Child  of  David  Bunn, 

" 

24, 

a 

Child  of  Walter  Lilly, 

" 

26, 

ii 

Ann  Robinson, 

Apri 

II. 

a 

William  Templeton,  Sr. 

,  Sept. 

2 

tt 

Robert  Brice, 

" 

29, 

lt 

Margaret  Donegan, 

u 

6, 

it 

Esther  Smith. 

May 

2 

a 

Letitia  Lewis, 

<< 

24, 

a 

Magdalina  Bhultz, 

June 

K.. 

a 

Child  of  John  Grier, 

" 

26, 

a 

Susanna  S.  Torbet, 

July 

'•', 

" 

Caroline  Lapp, 

Oct. 

3, 

a 

Child  of  Win.  (iuthrie, 

M 

16, 

tt 

Ann  Maris, 

u 

28, 

" 

Rachel  Guthrie, 

U 

30, 

a 

Susan  Haup, 

Nov. 

3, 

u 

Grcnabaum  Jews, 

Aug. 

', 

tt 

260 


APPENDIX. 


Name, 
Child  of  James  Long, 
Josiafa  P.  Dowlin, 
Elizabeth  Melntyrc, 
Theodore  B.  Torbert, 

Loekhart, 
Jane  Erwin, 
Elisabeth  Elliott, 
Child  of  John  Bradly, 
Elizabeth  D.  Dorian, 
Daniel  Campbell, 
Rachel  Ilappersett, 
Margaret  Bunn, 
Child  of  M.  Osborn, 
Alice  Long, 
John  Utustead, 
Jacob  Umstead, 
Child  of  Robert  Neely, 
Hannah  Freeman, 
Sarah  Dorian, 
Soloman  A.  Smith, 
Robert  Kerr, 
Elizabeth  Buchanan, 
Elizabeth  Swinchart, 

Child  of  Robt.  Dowlin, 
tt  it  a 

Child  of  R.  Smith, 
Sarah  J.  McKim, 
Child  of  Jas.  Millegan, 
Clarrissa  Marple, 
Isabella  Criley, 
Caroline  Ilappersett, 
Mary  J.  Neely, 
Joseph  Hughes, 
Jane  Shafer, 
Child  of  James  Way, 
Thomas  Dorian, 
Susannah  Stanly, 
Samuel  Lewis, 
William  Jackson, 
Parmenas  Crowe, 
I>a\  ill  Lockhart, 
John  A  rters, 
Child  of  John  Shingle, 
John  II.  Long, 
Joseph  Dorian, 
Henry  Sheneman, 
Waller  B.  Lilly, 


Date 

of  D 

trial. 

Aug. 

8, 

I860 

tt 

it 

10, 

24, 

Sept. 

27, 

tt 

(( 

27, 

tt 

Oct. 

9, 

" 

Nov. 

tt 

8, 

n 

tt 

22, 

tt 

Dec. 

6. 
13, 

tt 

a 

tt 

19, 

tt 

a 

23, 

a 

Jan. 

9, 

1851. 

a 

11, 

tt 

it 

11, 

" 

a 

11, 

it 

Feb. 

10, 

" 

a 

9, 

tt 

a 

11, 

a 

tt 

26, 

it 

Mar. 

4, 

tt 

June 

2, 

tt 

July 
tt 

19, 

26, 

tt 

Aug. 
tt 

5, 
7, 

tt 

Sept. 

5, 

tt 

it 

18, 

21, 

a 
tt 

a 

26, 

tt 

a 

30, 

" 

Oct. 

12, 

" 

" 

24, 

ft 

tt 

27, 

tt 

Nov. 
a 

10, 

21, 

it 

it 
a 

22, 
25, 

n 
tt 

Dec. 

6, 

" 

Jan. 

31, 

1852 

Feb. 

6, 

tt 

tt 

17, 

" 

Mar. 

1, 

tt 

" 

2, 

tt 

tt 

5, 

" 

a 

27, 

tt 

(Tame 
Elizabeth  Carpenter, 
Evan  Granger. 
Child  of  Robert  Dorian, 
Mrs.  Robert  Dowlin, 
Child  of  Jas.  Millegan, 
Andrew  Morton, 
John  Dowlin, 
Elizabeth  Gibson, 
Jane  Marshall, 
Sarah  Rigg, 
Margaret  Milnes, 
Hannah  Johnson, 
E.  Ralston, 
Martha  McAdams, 
Child  of  Wm.  Watson, 
Child  of  Ezekiel  Rigg, 
Sarah  Davis, 
Nathan  Dorian, 
Child  of  Walter  Lilly, 
Mary  Ann  Clour, 
Ester  Torbitt, 
Milo  Gibbony, 
John  K.  Clour, 
William  Allan, 
Child  of  B.  Baldwin, 
Child  of  K.  Clour, 
Martha  White, 
Sarah  Freeman, 
A.  Child, 
Elizabeth  Allen, 
Matthew  A.  Stanly, 
Caleb  Pusey, 
Robert  McWilliams, 
Catharine  Grier, 
Child  of  D.  West, 
Joanna  Bones, 
John  Hood, 
Child  of  J.  Dauman, 
Child  of  Alex.  Maitland, 
Samuel  S.  Barford, 
Hannah  Stanly, 
Mrs.  BufTington, 
Isaac  McGlaughlin, 
Child  of  T.  Matlack, 
Samuel  Barnet, 
Joseph  Rhea, 
Child  of  J.  Gibbony, 


May 
July 

All". 


Date  of  Burial. 
Mar.  31,  1852. 
April  5, 
1, 
9, 
2, 
21, 
3, 

"         9, 

"      13, 

"  20, 
Sept.     9, 

"  13, 
Oct.      8, 

"  31, 
Nov.  5, 
Dec.  5, 
Jan.  9,  1853. 
Feb.  15, 
Mar.  15, 

"       20, 

"       22, 

«  31, 
April    7, 

"      16, 

"  19, 
May     9, 

"       11, 

"       13, 

"  22, 
June  23, 
July     1, 

"       1 0, 

"  15, 
Aug.     4, 

"        6, 

"      25, 

"  31, 
Sept.  14, 
Oct.      3, 

"       10, 

"  1L 

"  is, 

Nov.  17, 

"  1 8, 

"  25, 

Dec.  10, 

Jan.  9,  1854. 


APPENDIX. 


261 


Name. 

Date  of  Burial. 

Grier  Russell, 

Feb. 

3, 

1854. 

Rachel  MoGlanghlin, 

it 

7, 

it 

Jane  Parke, 

a 

18, 

it 

M.  Gtainey, 

tt 

23, 

tt 

Phoebe  Kerns, 

Mar. 

6, 

tt 

Child  of  T.  Sellers, 

tt 

20, 

tt 

Sarah  Lewis, 

April 

3, 

tt 

Rebecca  Happersett, 

" 

6, 

" 

Elizabeth  Clour, 

tt 

9, 

tt 

Maria  Marshall, 

it 

12, 

a 

Hannah  Granger, 

" 

17, 

" 

Keziah  Umstead, 

May 

4, 

tt 

Child  of  S.  Dorian, 

" 

9, 

" 

Mary  Smith, 

" 

10, 

tt 

Thomas  M'Clune, 

tt 

13, 

a 

Martha  Mackelduff, 

June 

13, 

a 

Barbara  Griffith, 

" 

25, 

a 

Jane  Neely, 

July 

8, 

" 

Elizabeth  Essick, 

" 

9, 

" 

Harman  Smith, 

" 

27, 

a 

Mary  Smith, 

Aug. 

3, 

it 

Harner  Umstead, 

Sept. 

26, 

it 

Harriet  Dowlin, 

tt 

26, 

" 

Archibald  Campbell, 

n 

30, 

it 

Emma  M.  Martin, 

Oct. 

], 

tt 

Isaac  Lewis, 

a 

3, 

it 

Child  of  Win.  Dowlin, 

a 

5, 

it 

Jonathan  Benner, 

" 

14, 

" 

Child  of  Win.  Dowlin, 

tt 

17, 

it 

Child  of  James  Neely, 

Nov. 

2 

" 

Sarah  Aikins, 

Dec. 

7, 

it 

Samuel  Pergrin, 

Jan. 

9, 

1855. 

Joseph  Martin,  Jr., 

<< 

18, 

it 

Nancy  Pinkerton, 

Mar. 

4, 

tt 

Jane  Freeman, 

tt 

23, 

a 

Esther  Loag, 

Apri 

11, 

a 

Isabella  Divine, 

" 

15, 

a 

Child  of  Jno.  Dauman, 

July 

11, 

a 

Rebecca  Graham, 

" 

18, 

" 

Child  of  Wm.  Loag, 

" 

21, 

it 

Elizabeth  Dorian, 

An-. 

U, 

tt 

Jane  A.  Galligher, 

" 

25, 

a 

Child  of  J.  MoCurdy, 

Sept 

4, 

tt 

Ann  Forbis, 

" 

16, 

a 

Parke  Moore, 

Nov. 

3, 

" 

Joseph  Britton, 

Dec. 

2, 

a 

Child  of  J.  Mason, 

tt 

19, 

<< 

Name. 

Date  of  BnriaJ. 

Francis  Harris, 

Dec. 

20, 

1855. 

Emma  MarkoldufT, 

Jan. 

2 

Dorothea  Vastine, 

" 

."., 

it 

Hannah  Kennedy, 

" 

'.'. 

ti 

M.  Strong, 

Feb. 

8, 

it 

Mary  Dorian, 

.4 

15, 

« 

Jane  Caruthers, 

ti 

28, 

U 

William  Hunter, 

April 

4, 

.. 

.1.   Hammond, 

a 

9, 

a 

Mary  J.  Walkinshaw, 

tt 

10, 

tt 

Child  of  R.  Walkinshaw 

a 

12, 

.. 

Child  of  L.  Hammond, 

a 

15, 

a 

Jane  Moore, 

June 

7. 

u 

Elizabeth  McClellan, 

" 

11, 

a 

John  Forbis, 

a 

15, 

a 

Agnes  Thompson, 

u 

I".', 

" 

Joseph  Rhea, 

July 

23, 

a 

George  Floyd, 

Aug. 

7, 

a 

James  Williams, 

Sept. 

2 

a 

Elizabeth  Ballentine, 

" 

26, 

a 

Child  of  L.  Hammond, 

Oct. 

2 

a 

Josiah  Brower, 

" 

I 

a 

John  Sloan, 

Nov. 

8, 

tt 

Child  of  C.  MafTett, 

" 

12, 

tt 

Melchi  Happersett, 

it 

22, 

a 

Lavinia  Maitland, 

tt 

29, 

u 

Sarah  Boyce, 

Dec. 

3, 

a 

Susan  Lilly, 

ti 

28, 

" 

Child  of  J.  Sterrett, 

Jan. 

11, 

1857 

Mary  Wilson, 

" 

26, 

" 

Child  of  II.  Swinehart, 

tt 

27, 

" 

Rebecca  Grier, 

Feb. 

II. 

a 

Sarah  Brown, 

tt 

23, 

a 

James  W.  Brown, 

.Mar. 

11, 

a 

Samuel  Caruthers, 

tt 

15, 

tt 

Child  of  A.  Martin, 

a 

29, 

tt 

Child  of  Clark  Guincv, 

Apri 

10, 

n 

Joseph  Martin, 

" 

25, 

a 

Joseph  Kerr, 

May 

10, 

tt 

Child  of  R.  Mason, 

" 

17, 

n 

David  Lockhart, 

it 

24, 

ft 

John  Kurtz, 

June 

6, 

tt 

Benjamin  Harris, 

" 

7, 

tt 

Child  of  J.  William-. 

" 

9, 

it 

James  II.  Long, 

July 

14, 

ti 

Alexander  Gavitt, 

" 

" 

J.  Neely, 

4, 

tt 

262 


APPENDIX. 


Name. 

Date  of  Bh 

rial. 

Kame. 

Pato  of  Burial. 

Samuel  Dorian, 

Aug. 

26, 

1857. 

William  Dauman, 

Jan. 

3, 

1859. 

Mr.  Gallagher, 

Sept. 

6, 

tt 

Mrs.  'I'dwn-ley. 

Feb. 

19, 

it 

Josi&h  Williams, 

n 

8, 

it 

Margaret  Mills. 

ii 

24, 

a 

Nathaniel  Pennington, 

n 

30, 

ii 

Margarel   \.  MoKim, 

Mar. 

2 

" 

Franklin  Frenoh, 

Oot. 

2 

" 

Child  of  S.  Way. 

tt 

4, 

a 

John  Strong, 

" 

13, 

a 

Wilson  Brown, 

" 

15, 

" 

Charles  I 'instead, 

Nov. 

11, 

a 

Phoebe  Carmichael, 

" 

17, 

" 

Jane  R.  Walker, 

" 

25, 

ti 

[sabella  Osborne, 

April 

5, 

a 

William  Williams. 

Dee. 

6, 

" 

John  Fernwalt, 

a 

in, 

a 

John  Widener, 

tt 

7, 

tt 

Margaret  Stevenson, 

tt 

12, 

tt 

William  Roberts, 

ii 

11, 

ti 

Mary  (Jibson, 

tt 

30, 

a 

Nathan  Pinkerton, 

Jan. 

5, 

1858. 

Child  of  R.  Serril, 

May 

24, 

n 

William  W.  Elliott, 

n 

12, 

it 

Eliza  R.  Thomas, 

a 

30, 

tt 

M.  McAdams, 

a 

18, 

" 

Frederick  Wonderly, 

n 

30, 

a 

Frances  Williams, 

Feb. 

<), 

" 

Jane  Shineman, 

June 

19, 

a 

Boyce, 

" 

11, 

u 

Amy  Marple, 

«< 

30, 

a 

Daniel  Welsh, 

" 

16, 

tt 

Susannah  Dorian, 

July 

3, 

a 

James  Welch,  Jr., 

a 

18, 

" 

Kate  Hatfield, 

Aug. 

4, 

n 

Samuel  Culbertson, 

Mar. 

3, 

tt 

Mary  Curry, 

u 

4, 

a 

Child  of  J.  Strong, 

" 

16, 

tt 

Cecilia  Hatfield, 

a 

10, 

a 

Nancy  F.  Grier, 

tt 

22, 

tt 

Child  of  G.  Wonderly, 

a 

24, 

ti 

William  Arters, 

a 

28, 

tt 

Ruth  Sterrett, 

tt 

29, 

a 

Miss  Rhea, 

tt 

30, 

" 

Thomas  G.  Ralston, 

Oct. 

3, 

a 

Child  of  Wm.  King, 

May 

6, 

it 

John  Forbis, 

Nov. 

1, 

it 

Nathan  Dorian, 

" 

6, 

it 

Sarah  McClellan, 

Dec. 

28, 

« 

Jacob  Darkess, 

a 

20, 

a 

John  Dun  woody, 

Jan. 

21, 

1860 

J.  Cain, 

" 

20, 

a 

George  Forbis. 

a 

-'7, 

" 

Annie  Maitland, 

" 

30, 

a 

Mary  Christin, 

n 

31, 

it 

:,  Williams, 

June 

4, 

" 

John  Umstead, 

Mar. 

8, 

it 

Elizabeth  Athens. 

tt 

27, 

" 

Martha  Maitland, 

" 

14, 

a 

Daniel  Shnman, 

July 

2, 

a 

Susan  Russell, 

April  23, 

n 

[saac  Williams, 

tt 

11, 

a 

Mary  Ballentine, 

" 

30, 

" 

Child  of  J.  McCurdy, 

" 

15, 

a 

John  Worrall, 

May 

25, 

it 

Jane  L.  Grier, 

a 

L9, 

tt 

Margaret  M'Clune, 

July 

8, 

ti 

Child  of  J.  Sterrett, 

tt 

27, 

" 

Jane  Templeton, 

a 

17, 

it 

John  Saffcr, 

Aug. 

I, 

a 

Child  of  Chas.  McCann 

n 

1°, 

a 

Child  of  A.  Lodwick, 

" 

16, 

ti 

Child  of  Clark  (iuiney, 

tt 

27, 

ti 

Margaret  A.  Weber, 

ti 

21, 

it 

Margaret  Arters, 

Sept. 

16, 

a 

Robert  L.  Grier, 

Sept 

6, 

tt 

Miss  Dowlin, 

tt 

16, 

a 

Ann  Thompson, 

a 

10, 

tt 

Andrew  Torbet, 

Nov. 

25, 

tt 

Child  of  C.  Guiney, 

a 

19, 

tt 

Child  of  John  Dorian, 

Dec. 

24, 

ti 

Sarah  Atkins, 

tt 

24, 

a 

Robert  Graham, 

Jan. 

4, 

1861 

ii   Miller, 

a 

25, 

a 

.lames  M'Clure, 

tt 

8, 

a 

Joseph  Townsly, 

Oct. 

14, 

" 

George  McKim, 

n 

10, 

a 

Joseph  Smith, 

Nov 

3, 

tt 

Jane  Jenkins, 

Feb. 

11, 

a 

ll:i  1 1 1 1 :  i )  1  Jackson, 

ii 

20, 

it 

Child  of  .1.  Essick, 

a 

16, 

a 

Margaret  Worrall, 

ii 

30, 

tt 

Isaac  Long, 

ti 

18, 

a 

Name. 
Sarah  Murdock, 
Emana  McConncl, 
Mrs.  J.  MoCurdy, 
Child  of  John  Hughes, 
K\\  ing  Lewis, 
Mrs.  Riddle, 
Martha  Gaston, 
William  Himmelwright, 
Sarah  West, 
Margaret  McClure, 

Torbit, 

William  Sterrett, 
Child  of  T.  MoAdams, 
Nancy  Crowe, 
Philip  B.  Umstead, 
Hannah  Seeright, 
Sallic  Hatfield, 
Son  of  13.  Hatfield, 
Child  of  B.  Hatfield, 
Jane  Butler, 
Child  of  J.  G.  McClure, 
William  Stanly. 
James  Lockhart, 
Child  of  J.  Rice, 
Child  of  B.  Stringfellow, 
Joseph  Lorn  as, 
Michael  Weber, 
Sarah  Williams, 
Child  of  E.  Dunwoody, 


APrENDTX. 

_r,:; 

Date  of  Burial. 

Name. 

Date  of  Burial. 

Feb. 

21, 

1861. 

Marshall  Weber, 

Mar. 

19, 

it 

26, 

it 

child  of  William  Boyce, 

April 

1, 

" 

Mar. 

15, 

n 

Mary  Ann  Walker, 

May 

18, 

" 

" 

25, 

" 

HuMah  Shields, 

June 

6, 

a 

Apri 

8, 

8, 

a 

John  Gallagher, 

Two  children   of  T.   Mi- 

' 

13, 

' 

May 

24, 

" 

Adams, 

U 

20, 

•• 

June 

6, 

tt 

William  X.  Long, 

July 

1  1, 

" 

Aug. 
u 

9, 
12, 

11, 

a 

a 

Jane  Roseborough, 
Child  of  J.  Dunn, 
Susannah  Criley, 

n 

24, 
24, 
25, 

tt 

Sept. 

25, 

" 

Child  of  J.  Dauman, 

Aug. 

9, 

" 

Oct. 

1, 
21, 

a 

Child  of  John  Clour, 
Margaret  Lomas, 

6  ep  t . 
tt 

1. 
8, 

tt 

tt 

22 

" 

James  Murdock, 

" 

8, 

n 

tt 

28, 

tt 

Child  of  Wm.  Dowlin, 

" 

12, 

tt 

Nov. 

tt 

11, 

12, 

tt 

Child  of  Geo.  Dowlin, 
Ida  McFarlane, 

u 

19, 

it 

Dec. 

1, 

a 

James  Sims, 

ti 

30, 

a 

" 

2, 

tt 

Child  of  S.  Mendcnhall 

Dec. 

L0, 

a 

" 

10, 

tt 

James  Lewis, 

Jan. 

8, 

1863 

it 

12, 

a 

Andrew  Hatfield, 

« 

22, 

" 

u 

12, 

tt 

Robert  Ralston, 

Feb. 

10, 

" 

it 

24, 

tt 

John  Clower, 

" 

26, 

" 

" 

31, 

a 

Frank  Ballentine, 

Mar. 

1, 

" 

Jan. 

12, 
25, 

1862. 
tt 

Jane  Allan, 
John  C.  Marshall, 

tt 

4, 
15, 

« 

Mar. 
tt 

3, 
12, 

tt 

Samuel  Mowdy, 

a 

26, 

a 

NAMES  OF  THOSE  BURIED  IN  THE  GRAVEYARDS 
BELONGING  TO  THE  CHURCH,  DURING  NINE 
YEARS,  MAY,  1876,  TO  MAY,  1885. 


Name. 

Date 

j(  Burial. 

Name. 

Date  of  Burial. 

James  McFarlan, 

May 

1, 

1876. 

Grier  Davis, 

Dec. 

20,  1S76 

Sonnocthon  Essick, 

tt 

3; 

ti 

Eber  Thompson, 

Jan. 

v.  1877 

Minnie  Witte, 

tt 

22 

" 

Child  of  David  Brunei*, 

" 

17.    •• 

Rebecca  Mowdy, 

June 

20, 

it 

Jane  Guiney, 

Peh. 

20,     '• 

Jane  Long, 

Sept. 

", 

tt 

Margaret  White, 

Apri 

4,     " 

Rebecca  Pinkerton, 

" 

14, 

tt 

Rachel  Templeton, 

" 

20,     " 

William  C.  Lewis, 

Oct. 

6, 

tt 

Harry  J.  McLaughlin, 

May 

21,     " 

Norria  Dowlin, 

" 

7, 

" 

Esther  M.  Sinn, 

June 

8,     '• 

George  Guiney, 

tt 

9, 

tt 

Lydia  M.  Thomas, 

" 

2G,     " 

Mary  Davidson, 

Nov. 

6, 

a 

child  of  Wm.  Carpenter 

\n_'. 

"•     " 

John  Kurtz, 

Dec. 

4, 

it 

Elizabeth  Guiney, 

tt 

1  1,     - 

Emma  Savior, 

" 

9, 

" 

Child  of  George  Ayres, 

tt 

24,    - 

264 


APPENDIX. 


(Tame. 
Eliza  <;p>\  e, 
Frances  Dowlin, 
Eliza  Lightfoot, 
Sarah  A.  Pinkerton, 
Child  ol  J.  M.  Barr. 
I  saao  Williams, 
Emma  Long, 
Elizabeth  Gallagher, 
Howard  «'.  Afatlaok, 
Jennie  Ayres, 
Joseph  Tregoe, 
V.-.i i -sly  C.  .M attack, 
Charles  Matlack, 
Mary  .1.  Matlack, 
Benjamin  Hatfield, 
Elizabeth  Moore, 
Bth  Christy. 

Eva  M.  Granger, 

John  Hughes, 
Margaret  Hunter, 
Samuel  Forbis, 
John  Reibeling, 
.Mary  A.  Swinehart, 
John  Criley, 
.Mary  R.  Davis, 
John  Dowlin, 
Charles  Gillespie, 
Mary  Gallagher, 
Margaret  Martin, 
Anna  E.  Ballentine, 
William  Ballentine, 
John  Sailor, 
Mary  Stringfellow, 
George  Marshall, 
Robert  Murduck, 
Child  of  John  Guthrie, 
William  Hammond, 
Margarel  Sailer, 
Maria  McGlaughlin, 
William  C.  Lung, 

nam, 
Alexander  Wilson, 
Gallagher, 
Child  of  Win.  Tregoe, 
Mary  Dowlin, 
child  of  Dr.  II.  Evans. 
Ella  Hatfield, 


Dal    of  Burial. 

Oct. 

1, 
1, 

1877 

Nov. 

8, 

k 

Dec. 
u 

20, 
27, 

a 

Jan. 

31, 

1878 

Feb. 

7, 

<« 

Mar. 

4, 

« 

tt 

7, 

tt 

tt 

15, 

a 

a 
tt 

16, 

22 

tt 
a 

May 

&', 

u 

a 

28, 

" 

June 
tt 

1, 

2», 

It 

.1  nly 

14, 

it 

Sept. 

5, 

li 

Oct. 


" 

4, 

tt 

" 

9, 

a 

tt 

IS, 

ii 

Nov. 

9, 

" 

tt 

9, 

it 

i( 

26, 

" 

Dec. 

10, 
15, 

a 

Jan. 

24, 

1879 

Mar. 

1  1, 
31, 

„ 

Apri 

8, 

a 

it 

11, 

19, 

a 

May 

o 

" 

July 

3, 

" 

Aug. 

2 

a 

•' 

31, 

a 

Sept 

15, 

it 

it 

22, 

" 

a 

23, 

a 

Oct. 

1, 

" 

Nov. 

is. 

tt 

Dec. 

I, 

a 

a 

11, 

a 

Name. 
Anna   I,.  Amide, 
\_'im-  Elappersett, 
1 1 .  Davis, 
Margarel  A.  Strong, 
Elizabeth  <  Ihrisl  man, 
Joseph  Mackelduff,  Jr., 
Peter  Kurtz, 
Ann  Kennedy, 
Harry   Dowlin, 

John  Ralston, 

Harry  Ilea, 
James  C.  Irwin, 
Esther  Kirkpatrick, 
Emma  Millegan, 
David  Long, 
Frank  Guthrie, 
Elizabeth  Hatfield, 
i  lephas  M'Clune, 
Rev.  Dr.  J.  N.  C.  Grier, 
Nathaniel  Irwin, 
Sharpless  Widencr, 
Christiana  Crowe, 
Fannie  Lewis, 
Esther  J.  Baldwin, 
James  MeCIure, 
Sarah  Linden, 
Mary  Matlack, 
Joseph  G.  Maitland, 
Esther   \.  West, 
William  Templeton, 
James  Brown, 
John  Carpenter, 

Sarah  Miller, 
A.  M.  E  a  eh  us, 
James  M.  Dorian, 
Louisa  Rea, 
Catharine  Crowe, 
Daniel  Shields, 
Rachel  Everhart, 
Mary  Lewis, 
Daniel  McKim, 
Lydia  K.  Thomas, 
Elizabeth  [Jmstead, 
Sarah  A.  Thompson, 
Tilla  \\.  Forbis, 
Annie  E.  Moore, 
i  latharine  J.  Forbis, 


Date  of  Burinl. 

Dec. 

22, 

1879 

tt 

27, 

ii 

Jan. 

26, 

1880 

tt 

29, 

tt 

Feb. 

21, 

a 

.Mar. 
tt 

2, 
20, 

a 
a 

" 

l' 1. 

u 

a 

27, 

" 

Apri 

25, 

tt 

May 
a 

26, 
31, 

a 
tt 

June 

15, 

« 

n 

23, 

it 

July 

2 

" 

" 

8, 

a 

Aug. 

12, 

ii 

a 

18, 

it 

Sept. 

15, 

it 

a 

29, 

a 

Oct. 

11, 

ii 

" 

l!>, 

a 

Nov. 

17, 

" 

Dec. 

31, 

n 

Jan. 

18, 

1881 

a 

19, 

ii 

Feb. 

19, 

it 

Mar. 

19, 

tt 

tt 

26, 

it 

Apri 

27, 

n 

May 

4, 

a 

" 

It, 

tt 

Juno 

14, 

it 

Aug. 

9, 

it 

Sept. 

2, 

it 

<« 

21, 

tt 

ii 

28, 

it 

Nov. 

12, 

tt 

Dec. 

1, 

it 

" 

28, 

it 

ii 

31, 

it 

Jan. 

12, 

1882 

a 

14, 

it 

" 

28, 

n 

Mar. 

1", 

it 

tt 

25, 

a 

Apri 

19, 

tt 

APPENDIX. 


265 


Name. 
Child  of  F.  H.  Irwin, 
Mary  Ann  Grier, 
Benjamin  Milnes, 
Savilla  Hatfield, 
Zillah  Robinson, 
Alexander  Martin, 
Ann  E.  Malin, 
Anna  K.  Clower, 
Daniel  Harris, 
A.  H.  Umstead, 
Thomas  J.  Dorian, 
Liza  M.  Nelson, 
James  Roseboro, 
John  Guiney, 
Dr.  A.  K.  Gaston, 
Elizabeth  Guiney, 
Mary  J.  Graham, 
John  Dunn, 
Susan  Liggett, 
Mary  Carr, 
Esther  J.  Pinkerton, 
Joseph  Briggs, 
Thomas  Lomas, 
Benjamin  McClure, 
Elizabeth  Gillespie, 
James  Stewart, 
Mary  H.  Dunwoody, 
Catharine  Guiney, 
Hannah  Mclntyre, 


Date 

)f  Burial. 

May 

12, 

1882. 

June 

8, 

u 

it 

10, 

u 

It 

20, 

u 

July 

1, 

4, 

a 

Aug. 

18, 

it 

u 

21, 

" 

Sept. 

9, 
16, 

ii 

Oct 

24, 

a 

Nov. 

1, 

" 

it 

10, 

a 

Dec. 

tt 

13, 

26, 

a 

Feb. 

13, 

1883 

if 

19, 

a 

a 

22, 

it 

Mar. 
it 

1, 
11, 

n 

May 

16, 

tt 

a 

9, 

it 

a 

15, 

tt 

June 

14, 

tt 

July 

16, 

n 

" 

29, 

a 

Aug 

1, 

u 

16, 


Ethel  M.  McGlaughlin,  Sept.  15, 

Harvey  Milligan,                 "  16, 

Child  of  John  Baldwin,      "  18, 

Mary  M.  Dowlin,                 "  25, 

William  Growe,                    "  25, 

William  Lightfoot,            Oct.  22, 

Eddie  Guiney,                    Dec.  1, 

Child  of  Charles  Ahmole,    "  8, 


Name. 
Emma  A.  Vance, 
Christiana  Ralston, 
John  Uuthrie, 
Lewis  V.  Reeser, 
James  Davidson, 
George  Cain, 
Eugene  Dowlin, 
Agnos  Himmclwright, 
Rebecca  Robinson, 
Thomas  McAdams, 
James  Ballentine, 
Moses  Emery, 
Susan  Hammond, 
Augustus  J.  Dowlin, 
Eliza  A.  M'Clune, 
Rebecca  Dorian, 
Harriet  Thompson, 
Samuel  Mackelduff, 
John  M.  Neely, 
Rachel  Buchanan, 
Lizzie  McFarlane, 
Robert  Neely, 
Mrs.  Maitland, 
Ann  Worrall, 
Mary  Clevenstine, 
William  Moore, 
Sarah  Hatfield, 
James  Grant, 
Sarah  H.  Gillespie, 
E.  H.  Melon, 
Anna  M.  F.  Reaser, 
Emerson  Matlack, 
Charles  McFarlane, 
James  G.  Templeton, 
James  Ralston,  Sr., 
Alexander  Morrison, 


Date  of  Burial. 

Dec.   11, 

883. 

Jan.     2, 

SSI. 

"         9, 

it 

"      1". 

a 

"      19, 

a 

Feb.     2, 

" 

"      26, 

it 

Mar.  22, 

tt 

"      23, 

ii 

April    5, 

it 

"      12, 

K 

"      14, 

tt 

»      27, 

it 

May   22, 

It 

"      28, 

11 

June    4, 

It 

July      4, 

tt 

Aug.     2, 

tt 

"        8, 

tt 

"        9, 

" 

Oct.    26, 

it 

Nov.     5, 

tt 

"      10, 

" 

Dec.     6, 

tt 

«      23, 

tt 

Jan.     9, 

1885 

Mar.   10, 

u 

April    1, 

it 

"        3, 

ii 

"       7, 

" 

"        9, 

" 

"      22, 

tt 

May     4, 

ft 

"        9, 

tt 

"      22, 

tt 

"      26, 

it 

The  above  list  includes  every  age,  from  the  infant  of  "  a  few  days" 
to  the  "  mother  in  Israel"  of  more  than  fourscore  and  ten. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  as  showing  the  healthfulness  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  that  more  than  one-eighth  had  reached  ages  vary- 
ing from  seventy  to  ninety-one  years. 


18 


266  APPENDIX. 

S. 

ACT  OF    INCORPORATION. 

ACT  TO  INCORPORATE  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CONGRE- 
GATION OF  BRANDYWINE,  TN  THE  TOWNSHIP  OF 
WEST    NANTMEAL,   IN   THE   COUNTY   OF   CHESTER. 

Section  1. — Whereas,  divers  members  of  tbe  Presbyterian  Con- 
gregation of  Brandywine,  in  the  township  of  West  Nantmeal,  in 
the  County  of  Chester,  have  humbly  petitioned  the  General  Assembly, 
praying  that  the  said  Congregation  may  be  incorporated,  and  thereby 
enabled  to  recover,  receive,  and  hold  bequests,  legacies  and  donations 
which  may  be  made  to  the  use  of  the  same  Congregation,  and  that 
Samuel  Cunningham,  John  Culbertson,  Nathaniel  Porter,  Robert 
Smith,  David  Denny,  Robert  Lockhart,  James  Dunwoody,  James 
M'Clure  and  Wm.  Anderson,  members  of  the  aforesaid  Congregation, 
may  be  constituted  the  first  Trustees  by  Act  of  General  Assembly,  to 
be  passed  for  that  purpose. 

And  whereas,  this  General  Assembly  hath  consented  that  the  same 
Congregation  be  incorporated,  and  vested  with  such  powers  and  privi- 
leges, as  have  been  heretofore  granted  to  other  religious  societies  which 
have  been  incorporated  by  acts  of  the  Legislature :  Therefore, 

Section  2. — Be  it  enacted,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  Freemen  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  in 
General  Assembly  met,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  That  the 
said  Samuel  Cunningham,  John  Culbertson,  Nathaniel  Porter,  Robert 
Smith,  David  Denny,  Robert  Lockhart,  James  Dunwoody,  James 
M'Clure  and  William  Anderson,  and  their  successors,  to  be  nine  in 
number,  and  to  be  duly  elected  as  hereinafter  is  directed,  be,  and 
they  are  hereby  made  and  constituted  one  body  politic  and  corporate 
in  law  and  in  fact,  to  have  continuance  forever,  by  the  name,  style 
and  title  of  "  The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of 
Brandywine,  in  the  township  of  West  Nantmeal,  in  the  county  of 
Chester." 

Section  3. — And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  Trustees  and  their  successors,  by  the  name,  style  and 
title  aforesaid,  shall  forever  hereafter  be  capable  in  law,  as  well  to  take, 
receive  and  hold  all  and  all  manners  of  lands  and  other  real  and  per- 


APPENDIX.  L'<*>7 

sonal  estate,  which  have  at  any  time  or  times  heretofore  been  granted, 
bargained,  sold,  enfeoffed,  released,  devised  or  otherwise  ^riven,  granted 
or  bequeathed  to  the  said  religious  society  and  congregation  of  Bran- 
dywine,  in  the  county  of  Chester,  or  to  any  person  or  persons  in 
trust  for  the  said  society  and  congregation.  And  the  said  Trustees 
and  their  successors,  are  hereby  declared  to  be  seized  and  possessed  of 
such  estate  therein,  and  for  the  same  uses  and  intents,  as  in  and  by 
the  respective  grant,  devise  or  other  instrument  is  set  forth  and 
limited.  And  moreover,  the  said  Trustees  and  their  successors,  at  all 
times  hereafter,  shall  be  able  and  capable  to  purchase,  take,  hold  and 
enjoy  for  the  use  of  the  said  Congregation,  any  real  estate  in  fee 
simple  or  less  estate,  by  gift,  grant,  alienation,  devise  or  other  act  or 
instrument,  of  and  from  any  person  capable  to  make  the  same.  And 
further,  the  same  Trustees  and  their  successors,  shall  apply  the  rents, 
profits  and  yearly  income  of  the  said  Congregation,  for  the  time  being, 
for  repairing  and  enlarging,  if  need  be,  the  house  of  public  worship 
and  the  enclosure  of  the  burying  ground  of  the  same,  and  to  erect 
and  repair  the  schoolhouse,  and  for  such  other  pious  and  charitable 
purposes,  as  shall  be  directed  by  the  major  vote  of  the  regular  mem- 
bers of  the  said  society  and  congregation  duly  assembled,  upon  public 
notice  thereof  the  Sunday  preceding,  from  the  pulpit  or  desk  of  the 
said  house  of  worship. 

Section  4. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
all  and  singular  the  powers,  privileges,  regulations,  provisions  and 
directions,  subject  to  the  limitations  and  restrictions  contained  in  an 
Act  of  the  General  Assembly,  entitled  "  An  Act  for  incorporating 
the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Pequea,  in  the  county  of  Lancaster," 
enacted  on  the  fifth  day  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-five,  mutatis  mutandis,  shall  be, 
and  the  same  are  hereby  extended  and  applied  to  the  said  Congrega- 
tion of  Brandywine  and  to  the  nine  Trustees  herein  before  mentioned, 
and  their  successors : 

Section  5. — Provided,  nevertheless,  That  no  sale  or  alienation  of 
the  real  estate  of  the  said  Corporation,  made  by  the  said  Trustees  or 
their  successors,  bona  fide  and  for  valuable  consideration,  in  case  the 
possession  thereof  pass  immediately  to  the  purchaser  thereof  and 
continue  in  him  or  his  assigns,  shall  be  impeached  or  called  in 
question,  for  want  of  the  consent  of  the  majority  of  the  regular 


268  APPENDIX. 

members  of  the  said  society  and  congregation,  given  as  required  by 
the  Act  aforesaid,  unless  the  same  be  done  within  seven  years  from 
and  after  the  sale  and  delivery  of  possession  to  the  said  purchaser. 
Signed  by  order  of  the  House. 

Thomas   Mifflin,  Speaker. 

Enacted  into  a  law  at  Philadelphia,  on  Friday,  the  first  day  of 
September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
eighty-six. 

Samuel  Bryan,  Clerk  of  (he  General  Assembly. 

A  true  copy  from  the  original,  by 

B.   Griffith. 
January  14,  1831. 

ACT  FOE  INCOEPOEATING  THE  PEESBYTEEIAN  CONGEE- 
GATION  OF  PEQUEA,  IN  THE  TOWNSHIP  OF  SALIS- 
BUEY   AND   COUNTY   OF   LANCASTER 

Section  1. — Whereas,  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Pequea, 
in  the  county  of  Lancaster,  have  prayed  that  their  said  Congregation 
may  be  incorporated,  and  by  law  enabled  as  a  body  corporate  and 
politic,  to  receive  and  hold  such  charitable  donations  and  bequests  as 
have  been,  or  that  hereafter  may  be  made  to  their  society,  and  vested 
with  such  powers  and  privileges  as  are  enjoyed  by  other  religious 
societies,  who  are  incorporated  within  this  State.  And  whereas,  this 
house  is  disposed  to  exercise  the  powers  vested  in  the  Legislature  of 
the  Commonwealth  for  the  encouragement  of  pious  and  charitable 
purposes : 

Section  2. — Be  it  therefore  enacted,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by 
the  Representatives  of  the  Freemen  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania, in  General  Assembly  met,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same, 
That  Isaac  M'Calmont,  Amos  Slaymaker,  James  Armour,  Thomas 
Slemons,  Andrew  Caldwell,  Robert  Byers,  David  Jenkins,  Thomas 
Patton  and  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  and  their  successors  duly  elected 
and  appointed  in  such  manner  as  herein  after  is  directed,  be,  and  they 
are  hereby  made  and  constituted  a  corporation  and  body  politic,  in 
law  and  in  fact,  to  have  continuance  forever,  by  the  name,  style  and 
title  of  "  The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Pequea, 
in  Salisbury  township  and  county  of  Lancaster." 


APPENDIX.  269 

Section  3. — And  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors,  by  the  name,  style  and 
title  aforesaid,  shall  forever  hereafter  be  persons  able  and  capable  in 
law,  as  well  to  take,  receive  and  hold,  all  and  all  manner  of  lands, 
tenements,  rents,  annuities,  franchises  and  other  hereditaments,  which 
at  any  time  or  times  heretofore  have  been  granted,  bargained,  sold, 
enfeoffed,  released,  devised  or  otherwise  conveyed  to  the  said  Presby- 
terian Congregation  of  Pequea,  in  the  township  and  county  aforesaid, 
or  to  the  religious  society  or  congregation  worshipping  therein,  now 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  or  to  any  person 
or  persons  to  their  use  or  in  trust  for  them ;  and  the  same  lands, 
tenements,  rents,  annuities,  liberties,  franchises  and  other  heredita- 
ments are  hereby  vested  and  established  in  the  said  corporation  and 
their  successors  forever,  according  to  the  original  use  and  intent,  for 
which  such  devices,  gifts  and  grants  were  respectively  made :  And 
the  said  corporation  and  their  successors  are  hereby  declared  to  be 
seized  and  possessed  of  such  estate  and  estates  therein  as  in  and  by 
the  respective  grants,  bargains,  sales,  enfeoffments,  releases,  devises, 
or  other  conveyances  thereof,  is,  or  are  declared,  limited  or  expressed : 
As  also  that  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors  aforesaid,  at  all 
times  hereafter,  shall  be  capable  and  able  to  purchase,  have,  receive, 
take,  hold  and  enjoy,  in  fee  simple,  or  of  lesser  estate  or  estates, 
any  lands,  tenements,  rents,  annuities,  liberties,  franchises  and  other 
hereditaments,  by  the  gift,  grant,  bargain,  sale,  alienation,  enfeoffment, 
release,  confirmation  or  devise  of  any  person  or  persons,  bodies  politic 
and  corporate,  capable  and  able  to  make  the  same :  And  further  that 
the  said  corporation  may  take  and  receive  any  sum  or  sums  of  money, 
and  any  portion  of  goods  and  chattels,  that  have  been  or  hereafter 
shall  be  given  or  bequeathed  to  them  by  any  person  or  persons,  bodies 
corporate  and  politic,  able  and  capable  to  make  a  bequest  or  gift 
thereof,  such  money,  goods  and  chattels  to  be  laid  out  and  disposed 
of  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  aforesaid  Congregation,  agreeable  to 
the  intention  of  the  donor. 

Section  4. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  rents,  profits  and  interest  of  the  said  real  and  personal  estate 
of  the  aforesaid  corporation  and  congregation,  shall  by  the  said 
Trustees  and  their  successors,  from  time  to  time,  be  applied  and  laid 
out  by  them  for  the  maiutainance  and  support  of  the  Gospel  .Ministry 


270  APPENDIX. 

in  the  said  congregation,  for  repairing  and  maintaining  their  house  of 
public  worship,  lots  of  land,  burial  ground,  and  such  other  pious  and 
charitable  uses  as  shall  be  thought  proper,  by  a  majority  of  the 
Trustees  and  other  regular  members  of  the  said  congregation,  on  due 
notice  met,  to  give  their  free  vote  in  such  case. 

Section  5. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  when  and  as  often  as  it  may  become  necessary  to  rebuild, 
enlarge  or  otherwise  alter  the  house  of  public  worship  belonging  to 
the  said  congregation  and  corporation,  or  to  erect  any  new  building, 
or  to  make  any  new  purchase  for  the  use  of  the  said  congregation, 
then  and  in  such  case  it  may  be  lawful  for  the  aforesaid  Trustees  and 
their  successors  to  make  sale  of  such  part  or  parcel  of  the  real  or 
personal  estate  of  the  said  corporation,  as  a  majority  of  the  Trustees 
and  of  the  regular  members  of  the  said  congregation  shall  by  their 
votes  direct,  the  money  arising  from  such  sale  to  be  laid  out  and 
applied,  agreeably  to  the  vote  of  a  majority  met  as  aforesaid. 

Section  6. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  Trustees  and  their  successors  shall  not  by  deed  nor  any 
otherwise  grant,  alien,  convey,  or  otherwise  dispose  of  any  part  or 
parcel  of  the  estate,  real  or  personal,  in  the  said  corporation  vested, 
or  to  be  vested,  or  charge  or  incumber  the  same  to  any  person  or 
persons  whatsoever,  except  in  the  manner  and  for  the  purposes  herein 
before  mentioned. 

Section  7. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  Trustees,  their  successors,  or  a  majority  of  them,  may 
from  time  to  time  meet  as  often  as  they  shall  think  necessary  for  the 
benefit  of  the  said  corporation,  either  on  their  own  adjournment,  or 
on  public  notice  from  the  pulpit  the  preceding  Sabbath  immediately 
after  divine  service,  and  before  the  congregation  is  dismissed,  or  on 
regular  notice  in  writing,  left  at  the  house  of  each  of  the  Trustees, 
and  that  the  said  Trustees,  or  a  majority  of  them,  being  so  met,  be 
authorized  and  empowered,  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  em- 
powered to  elect  and  appoint  from  among  themselves  a  President,  and 
also  to  elect  and  appoint  from  among  themselves,  or  other  members  of 
the  said  congregation,  a  Treasurer  and  Secretary,  and  to  remove, 
change  or  continue  all  or  either  of  them  at  their  pleasure,  as  shall 
seem  to  be  most  for  the  benefit  of  the  said  corporation. 

Section  8. — Provided,  nevertheless,  That  the  meeting  or  meetings 


APPENDTX.  271 

of  the  said  corporation  be  not  called  without  the  concurrence  of  two 
or  more  Trustees,  or  of  three  or  more  respectable  members  of  the  said 
congregation,  with  the  President,  or  without  the  particular  business 
and  reasons  of  the  meeting  being  specified  with  the  notification. 

Section  9. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  said  Trustees,  or  a  majority  of  them,  met,  as  is  herein  before  di- 
rected, shall  be  authorised  and  empowered,  and  they  are  hereby  au- 
thorised and  empowered,  to  make  rules,  by-laws  and  ordinances,  and  to 
do  every  thing  needful  for  the  government  and  support  of  the  secular 
affairs  of  the  said  corporation  and  congregation  :  Provided  that  the  said 
by-laws,  rules  and  ordinances,  or  any  of  them,  be  not  repugnant  to  the 
laws  of  this  commonwealth  ;  and  also  that  all  their  laws  and  proceed- 
ings be  fairly  and  regularly  entered  in  a  book  to  be  kept  for  that 
purpose. 

Section  10. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors  shall  have  full  power 
and  authority  to  make,  have  and  use  one  common  seal,  with  such  de- 
vice and  inscription  as  they  shall  think  fit  and  proper,  and  the  same 
to  break,  alter  and  renew  at  their  pleasure. 

Section  11. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors,  by  the  name  of  "  The 
Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Pequea.  in  the  township 
of  Salisbury  and  county  of  Lancaster,"  shall  be  able  and  capable  in 
law  to  sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded  in  any  Court,  or  be- 
fore any  Judge  or  Justice,  in  all  and  all  manner  of  suits,  complaints, 
pleas,  matters  and  demands  of  whatsoever  kind,  nature  or  form  they 
may  be,  and  all  and  every  matter  and  thing  therein  to  do,  in  as  full 
and  effectual  a  manner  as  any  other  person  or  persons,  bodies  politic 
or  corporate,  within  this  Commonwealth,  may  or  can  do. 

Section  12. — Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid, 
That  the  said  corporation  shall  always  consist  of  nine  members,  ex- 
cept as  is  herein  after  provided,  called  and  known  by  the  name  of 
"The  Trustees. of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Pequea.  in  the 
township  of  Salisbury,  and  county  of  Lancaster,"  and  the  said  mem- 
bers shall  at  all  times  hereafter  be  chosen  by  ballot  by  a  majority  of 
such  members  (met  together)  of  the  said  congregation  as  shall  have 
been  enrolled  as  stated  worshippers  with  the  said  congregation  for  at 
least  the  space  of  one  year,  and  shall  have  paid  one  year's  pew  rent,  or 


272  APPENDIX. 

other  annual  sum  of  money  not  less  than  ten  shillings,  for  the  use  and 
benefit  of  the  said  corporation  and  congregation,  and  shall  not  at  any 
time  of  voting,  be  more  than  one  half  year  behind  or  in  arrears  for 
the  same :  Provided,  always,  that  the  Pastor  or  Minister  of  the  said 
congregation  for  the  time  being,  shall  be  entitled  to  vote  equally  with 
any  member  of  the  said  congregation,  and  also,  that  all  and  every  per- 
son or  persons  qualified  to  vote  and  elect  as  aforesaid,  shall  and  may 
be  also  capable  of  being  elected  as  a  Trustee  as  aforesaid. 

Section  13. — Be  it  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  the 
said  Isaac  M'Calmont,  Amos  Slaymaker,  James  Armour,  Thomas  Slem- 
ons,  Andrew  Caldwell,  Robert  Byers,  David  Jenkins,  Thomas  Patton, 
and  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  the  first  and  present  Trustees  hereby  in- 
corporated, shall  be  and  continue  Trustees  aforesaid,  until  they  be  re- 
moved in  manner  following,  that  is  to  say :  One  third  part  in  number  of 
the  Trustees  aforesaid,  being  the  third  part  herein  first  named  and  ap- 
pointed, shall  cease  and  discontinue,  and  their  appointment  determine 
on  the  first  Monday  in  the  month  of  April,  which  will  be  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-sis,  and  the 
second  third  part  herein  named  shall  cease  and  discontinue,  and  their 
appointment  determine  on  the  first  Monday  in  April,  which  will  be  in 
the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  and  in  like 
manner  the  last  third  part  herein  named  shall  cease  and  determine  on 
the  first  Monday  in  April,  which  will  be  in  the  year  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight,  on  which  days  in  each  of  the  afore- 
mentioned years  respectively,  new  elections  shall  be  held  of  other 
Trustees,  instead  and  in  place  of  those  whose  appointments  shall  have 
ceased  and  terminated ;  which  manner  of  discontinuance,  determina- 
tion and  new  appointment  or  election  shall  be  continued  on  the  first 
Monday  in  April  every  year  hereafter  forever,  so  that  no  person  shall 
be  or  continue  a  Trustee  longer  than  three  years  together,  without 
being  re-elected,  which  may  be  done  whenever  and  as  often  as  the 
members  of  said  congregation  qualified  to  vote  as  aforesaid,  shall 
think  fit. 

Section  14. — Provided,  always,  nevertheless,  That  whenever  any 
circumstance  or  concurrence  of  circumstances  shall  happen,  to  prevent 
the  holding  of  an  election  at  the  periods  aforementioned,  for  Trus- 
tees instead  and  in  place  of  those  whose  appointments  shall  have 
ceased  and  terminated,  also  whenever  any  vacancy  shall  happen  by  the 


APPENDIX.  273 

death,  refusal  to  serve,  or  other  removal  of  any  one  or  more  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  said  corporation,  an  election  shall  be  held  as  soon  as 
conveniently  can  be  done,  in  the  manner  before  directed,  for  other 
Trustees  in  the  stead  and  in  place  of  those  whose  appointments  shall 
have  ceased  and  terminated,  or  for  supplying  such  vacancies  that  may 
happen  as  aforesaid,  and  that  the  remaining  Trustees  bave  power  to 
call  a  meeting  of  the  electors  of  the  Congregation  for  such  purposes. 
Section  15. — Provided,  always,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the 
authority  aforesaid,  That  the  clear  yearly  value,  interest  or  income  of 
the  lands,  tenements,  rents,  annuities,  or  other  hereditaments  and  real 
estate  of  the  said  Corporation,  shall  not  exceed  the  sum  of  five  hundred 
pounds,  gold  or  silver  money,  at  the  present  current  value  thereof  in 
the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  exclusive  of  pew  rent  and  other 
free  contributions  belonging  to  the  aforesaid  congregation,  which  said 
money  shall  be  received  by  the  said  Trustees,  and  disposed  of  by  them 
for  the  purposes  and  in  manner  herein  before  described  and  directed. 
Signed  by  order  of  the  House. 

John  Bayard,  Speaker. 

Enacted  into  a  law  at  Philadelphia  on  Saturday  the  fifth  day  of 
February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
eighty-five. 

Samuel  Bryan,  Clerk  of  the  General  Assembly. 


A  true  copy  from  the  original,  by 

B.  Griffith. 

January  14,  1831. 


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